Homecoming
by Phedre no Delaunay
Summary: Discontinued indefinitely. I don't like this story so much that I'm going to waste valuable time working on it, when only two percent of the people reading it even bother to review.
1. Prologue

Author's notes will be at the end of each chapter. Please read them, as they contain important information. If you fail to read them, you may miss something, and I might just get angry and yell at you.

**Prologue**

Two weeks ago if anyone had told her that she would be in this situation, she would either have laughed or punched the person in the face. Staying at the manor house was, barely, believable. The owner was at least on her side of the war, even if he was one of the meanest men she'd ever had the misfortune to converse with. The other occupant of the house, though, was completely unbelievable. He hated her for what she was and for who she associated with. That he would politely give her the time of day was a stretch, and yet, here they were.

Even now, she did not know the motives of either man. Severus Snape was probably under orders to keep her safe, and he was doing so. However, surely such orders had not included commands to be nice to her, which he was also doing. Well, nice wasn't really the right term, but he was most certainly not acting cruelly as he normally did. Most likely, he felt sorry for her, which did not comfort her. She did not want pity, especially from him. He would certainly not ever want pity from anyone, least of all from her.

Draco Malfoy was a much bigger surprise. While Snape merely scorned her bossy attitude and choice of friends, Malfoy flat out hated her, or so she had always assumed. That would generally be the assumption when a person taunts you and frequently tries to seriously injure or even kill you. He'd let the world know just how much he hated her on more than one occasion, labeling her a 'mudblood' and insulting her for every possible thing. That he had saved her life and now treated her decently was very much out of character, and she cowered around him, convinced that he would revert to his normal self at any second.

Instead, he either ignored her or engaged in polite, short sentenced-conversation with her about school or books. He was, despite his horrid attitude, very intelligent and even more well read. Had they not spent the last five years as mortal enemies, she would have gotten along with him probably better than with her actual friends. Harry and Ron were wonderful, and she loved them to death, but they really did not worry enough about school, and certainly did not read for the pleasure of it.

Currently, the strange trio sat around a coffee table in the library of the Snape family manor house. Severus Snape was the only one of his family left, so the entire house was almost completely deserted most of the time. During the school year, Snape stayed in his private quarters in the school, and during the summers, he did so much work with Dumbledore or Voldemort that he was rarely in the house. Three house elves who she had but caught glimpses of kept everything clean and in proper order, but the house remained rather dull and lifeless.

Snape had just returned from meeting with Dumbledore and had news. He'd spent the past week in a frantic dash, arranging things with Dumbledore on her behalf and trying to smooth over things with Lucius Malfoy on Draco's behalf. He'd also been summoned to Voldemort twice, his loyalties most likely in question. He was still alive, so she could only assume that he had somehow managed to convince the Dark Lord that what he did would serve a greater cause. Probably some nonsense about gaining Dumbledore's trust.

"Both adoptions have been successful," Snape said, his voice even, betraying nothing.

She'd known for a few days now that Dumbledore was arranging for her to be adopted, though she knew almost nothing about who was adopting her. All she knew was that the woman was a powerful witch and a member of the Order. The other adoption Snape spoke of was his own adoption of Draco Malfoy. That particular adoption was a bit more difficult because Draco's parents were still alive.

He'd been disowned for saving her and refusing to join the Dark Lord. Granted, that would not be the excuse his parents would give for obvious reasons, but nonetheless he was cut off from his Malfoy name and inheritance. Strangely, he did not seem to regret it. How amusing, that a boy so proud of his family gave it up freely all for a girl he claimed to hate. Still, as the adopted son of Severus Snape, he was heir to the Snape fortune, which was almost as large as the Malfoy fortune, and certainly much older. If Snape ever had children of his own, Draco would be out of luck, but with each passing year, the chance of Snape surviving, let alone fathering a child, grew smaller and smaller. Draco had little to worry about.

She, on the other hand, had nothing left. It had been just over a week ago that a small band of Death Eaters had attacked her house. She had been reading in her room, and her parents had just returned from a 'date' to the movies when the four hooded figures broke into their house. Naturally, her parents hadn't stood a chance against the four wizards, though she knew none of the details. She had heard their screams, though, and, grabbing her wand had gone down to investigate. She did not even make it to the bottom of the stairs, let alone to the kitchen where the violence was happening.

Two of the Death Eaters stood at the bottom of the stairs, eerie in their black robes and white masks. Before she even realized what was happening, one of them shouted "expelliarmus." Her wand flew from her hand and she fell back against the stairs, bumping her head. After that, everything was blurry, though she was unfortunate enough not to lose consciousness at any point. She vaguely remembered one of the Death Eaters sending the other away, and then climbing the steps. He grabbed her roughly by the hair and dragged her up the stairs and into her bedroom.

For a group so insistent about the supremacy of magic, they certainly did not use as many curses as she would have expected. She endured a round of crucio, and was bound magically to the bed, but the rest of what she endured could have been performed by muggle and wizard alike. While the beating went on, he told her what a dirty little mudblood she was, and how she would pay the price for it. He taunted her, asked where Harry 'The Boy Who Lived' Potter was when she needed him most.

He removed his mask before he raped her. In the end, she was not really surprised to see that it was Lucius Malfoy. He undoubtedly hated the fact that a 'mudblood' continuously showed up his dear son and her being friends with Harry Potter made her an obvious target for Death Eaters. Though it didn't surprise her, it still hurt far more than she would have ever imagined. It lasted for what seemed like hours, and he did everything in his power to make it as painful as possible, physically and emotionally.

Draco had come in shortly after his father had finished, though she hadn't known that it was him at the time. The two spoke to each other in short phrases, Lucius encouraging the other to join in. As the masked figure approached her, she prepared for the pain once again, but it never came. Before she or Lucius could comprehend what was happening, Draco had grabbed her around the waist and apparated away.

She spent the next two nights in the infirmary at Hogwarts, and was then shipped over to Snape manor along with Malfoy. She hadn't seen Harry or Ron the entire time, and would probably not see them again until the beginning of next term. To some degree, she missed them, but she also didn't want to see them feeling sorry for her. She especially didn't want them to treat her like glass, as they undoubtedly would.

"Professor Snape, who is this person who's adopting me?" she asked softly.

"Her name is Usagi Tsukino. She's a powerful witch, and she lives in Japan, so you should be safe. She heads the Asian branch of the Order, and she'll be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts next term."

"Is she nice?"

"She was in Gryffindor, so I'm sure you'll get along. She endured a...situation similar to yours in her sixth year." He seemed uncomfortable bringing the subject up, and she didn't blame him. She certainly didn't want to talk about it or be reminded of it. Still, knowing the woman who would be her new mother for the next couple of years understood what she was going through was a comforting thought.

"Does she have other children?"

"I don't know. I haven't spoken to her in over fifteen years," he snapped. She took this as a sign to shut up and stop asking so many questions. She got that tone from him a lot, so she wasn't particularly offended.

"Twin girls, about your age."

The slightly accented voice came from the door to the library and all three occupants of the room turned to face the woman who had just entered. She was short, but very beautiful with long blond hair and clear blue eyes. She wore a pink kimono with green floral pattern and a green obi, and she smiled softly at them.

"Don't look at me like that, Severus. I've explained it all in a letter for you. You have to promise to read it all the way through, even if you get mad."

She removed the letter from the sleeve of her kimono, offering it to him. He smirked and accepted it.

"I wasn't expecting you so early. The Usagi I remember would never have gotten up before noon on a Saturday."

"I get up and make sure the girls get off to school on time, and usually go back to sleep. But today I just came here instead. Hermione and I have a long day of shopping ahead of us, and Minako is coming along." She turned to Hermione. "Your mail is already being routed to my home in Japan. I brought your OWL scores. I thought you might like to tell Severus so that he could tell your other teachers. I don't trust owl post, so you'll be cut off from England for about two months, maybe a bit less."

Hermione nodded, shaking nervously in part due to the OWL scores and in part due to the prospect of living in a foreign country with no contact whatsoever to her friends for months. Still, she took the envelope and did not complain. She was, after all, a Gryffindor. She opened the letter and read its contents thoroughly. Nodding at the results, she handed the letter to her Professor, who glanced at it and scowled. Despite all that had happened in the past week, she couldn't help but smile a bit. Some things would never change.

"All right, we need to go. Minako is waiting. Have you traveled using a portkey before, Hermione?" Hermione nodded.

"Good luck Miss Granger. Shopping with Minako Aino will undoubtedly be the most terrifying experience of your life."

Hermione looked at him questioningly but Usagi grabbed her hand and placed it on the portkey before anything else could be said. She felt the familiar tug in her belly and before she realized it, she was standing in an unfamiliar kitchen, probably in Japan. The windows were open and birds were chirping outside. It appeared to be mid morning, the sun shining in a cloudless sky. A blond woman wearing an orange, muggle-style sundress sat at the table, and she appeared to be talking to two cats, which was odd. The cats appeared to be paying attention, which was even more odd.

"Oh, hi," the blond woman said when she noticed them, standing and grinning. "You're Hermione, then? I'm Minako Aino, a friend of Usagi's."

"Hey, Minako. Show her around while I go change into something a little more conducive to shopping."

Usagi winked and disappeared through the doorway, leaving Hermione alone with Minako and the cats. As Minako began talking, she started to fully understand Professor Snape's warning. Minako was...interesting.

* * *

Alright, I shouldn't have even started writing this, as I need to be working on my SM/DBZ fic, Vendetta, but I'm having a lot of problems writing it at the moment, and this idea wouldn't leave me alone.

I will tell you now that there is a fair chance I will write a few more paragraphs on this story and then never look at it again. If I get enough encouragement, I'll continue, but if people don't show interest, I'm not even going to bother. This is a side project, and is very much in the works. There are many small details I'm still trying to hammer out, and I'm not entirely satisfied with this prologue.

If you choose to leave a review, please make it worth my time. Do not leave a review containing netspeak, and please try to add commentary on things like plot, characterization and detail. As this is a prologue, it may be hard to say anything about plot, but any constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. Don't just tell me that it's great and that you want me to update more. I hate those reviews, and I will inform you of that fact personally should you choose to ignore this warning.

Now, I would like to point out that this story is very much AU as far as Sailor Moon goes. AU to the point that the "senshi" don't exist. I will explain everything further in later chapters, but just go with the flow for now. I know it's confusing, but you'll learn things as Hermione and Harry Potter learn things, and not before. (Except in a few instances).

Alright, that's all I've got for now. Thank you if you read these notes.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

Harry Potter sat in a stern, straight-backed chair in the den at Twelve Grimmauld Place, a scowl worthy of Professor Snape on his face. Remus Lupin sat on the couch opposite him, trying his hardest to ignore the glowering young man. He honestly did not know all of the details, and anything he could have told Harry would have been insufficient to quell his rage. They would simply have to await Dumbledore for an explanation, and Harry was having a hard time remaining patient.

He'd dreamt over a week ago about Voldemort, his scar burning again fiercely. He knew that there had been a raid, and he suspected that Hermione had been involved, though no one would tell him. Those around him had assured him that "things were being taken care of." He had no faith in them, though. He sat back as they bustled about, speaking in hushed tones and behind closed doors, and he grew more and more angry. Dumbledore was supposed to explain things now, though, so he continued to wait. When the door to the den opened, his head snapped so fast that Lupin was afraid the boy had given himself whiplash. It was Ron, though.

"Harry, what's going on?" the redhead asked, obviously nervous. He knew about as much as his friend, and had seen Harry tense all week. The Boy Who Lived did not reply, and went back to glaring in Lupin's general direction. Ron sighed at the lack of response and sat down on the couch, propping his feet up on the coffee table. His mother was busy cooking in the kitchen and would not be able to yell at him.

They waited in tense silence for some minutes and Ron and Lupin had to do their best not to go crazy. Harry had such a single-minded focus on his anger that it was all he could do not to get up and storm out of the room in search of answers. Finally the door opened again, and Dumbledore and Snape entered the room, both wearing solemn expressions. Harry shot to his feet, fists clenched and green eyes blazing in rage.

"Where is she?" he demanded, his voice cold as ice.

"Japan. Sit down, Harry. There is much to explain," Dumbledore said, his voice sounding tired. Still, he smiled, twinkled, and sat in a vacant chair. Snape opted to remain standing, scowling at the scene in front of him.

"What happened?" Harry sat and unclenched his fists, but his eyes still flashed in anger and he was still quite tense. He glanced momentarily at Snape, but then focused on Dumbledore.

"I believe Severus can explain this the best. He is more directly involved," Dumbledore said. Harry looked back at his potions professor and attempted to keep his face blank. He was not willing to risk the man getting annoyed at him for breathing wrong or some such offense.

"Nine days ago, three Death Eaters including Lucius Malfoy, and Draco who was to be initiated, attacked Miss Granger's home. Her parents were killed..." Snape trailed off, trying to find a delicate way to tell the boys that their friend had been raped.

"Hermione...she's okay, right? You said she's in Japan, so she's okay..." It was Ron who spoke up, sounding terribly distraught. He looked as though he was about to cry, though he held it in.

"She was raped, wasn't she? I could hear her crying..." Harry spoke softly, without emotion. "Who was it? Draco?" His voice promised death, and Ron and Lupin were terrified. Snape and Dumbledore, who both felt that their death would come in the near future anyway, were not so affected. Snape shook his head.

"Lucius. Draco saved her life." Ron and Harry stared at Snape, shock written all over their faces. "After...after Lucius was done, he told Draco to have his turn. Draco took hold of Miss Granger and Apparated to my estate. He's been disowned."

Harry sat in contemplative silence for a few minutes, digesting all that he'd just heard. Hermione, one of his dearest friends and the closest thing he had to a sister had lost her parents and had been raped, and was now in Japan. Draco was not a Death Eater, and had saved her life. It was, on the whole, very much wrong. There were pieces that just didn't fit.

"Why Japan?" he asked, finally. He knew that Hermione spoke French, Italian and a bit of Spanish and Portuguese, and he was fairly certain that she did not speak any Japanese. It was, admittedly, much farther from England, though he could not pinpoint the exact reason for such a random location.

"The Order has a branch in Asia, headed by a woman named Usagi Tsukino. She has adopted Miss Granger, and has the power to keep her safe. The Dark Lord will be unwilling to leave Europe to look for one girl who has suffered enough already. However, Miss Granger will be a great threat when she returns to England. Lucius Malfoy unmasked himself when he attacked her, so she will be able to bring charges against him. In Japan, she will learn magic strong enough to keep her safe during the trial. Even incarcerated, Malfoy would pose too great a threat. The Asian branch of the Order has been working for many years to combat the Dark Arts, and while they have not had sufficient time to completely nullify the effects of such curses as the Cruciatus, I have been assured they have made sufficient progress to be of use. Usagi will return with Miss Granger late in the summer, and will teach Defense Against the Dark Arts next term. She has also endured things similar to Miss Granger, and should be able to offer advice."

Dumbledore's words seemed to calm Harry a bit on the outside, though deep down he was still seething. Knowing that Hermione was safe with someone Dumbledore trusted eased his mind somewhat, but he would never be able to get over what she had suffered. He could only imagine the torture she must have gone through, and must still be living through. The knowledge that he had to kill Voldemort became easier to bear with each atrocity he and his Death Eaters committed.

* * *

Hermione quickly got used to Minako's chattering, and while the woman was not the typical person she would choose to hang out with, she was kind and very helpful when it came to shopping. Usagi was less talkative, but equally helpful and together the two of them managed to distract her for most of the day. They chatted absently about their friends, and the times when they had attended Hogwarts. This bit of information surprised Hermione, but it made their only mildly accented English make more sense. They had obviously spent a good deal of time speaking it in their lives, if they had gone to Hogwarts.

The first stop on the shopping trip was a little clothing boutique a couple of blocks from Usagi's apartment. At first glance, it seemed entirely Muggle, completely lacking in anything resembling robes. Mini skirts and jeans were displayed in the window, and aside from a small corner dedicated to traditional Japanese clothing, everything seemed...European. However, the owner of the boutique, a friend of Usagi's named Setsuna Meioh, was definitely a witch.

After being introduced to the pretty, older woman, Hermione was ushered into a back room where her measurements were taken magically. While Setsuna paced about draping fabrics and muttering to herself, Minako and Usagi went in search of kimonos. Once measured, Setsuna sat her down at a table and started making sketches. Hermione did not know a lot about what was "fashionable" in the wizarding world, but she made a few quiet comments on things she liked and didn't like, and Setsuna made the adjustments without any negative comment. By the time Minako and Usagi returned with kimonos for Hermione to try on, Setsuna had finished with the sketches and was using her wand to cut fabrics.

It took about an hour for Setsuna to construct two sets of beautiful, European-style robes, and in the mean time, Hermione chose three kimonos of varying colors and patterns, and a number of articles of muggle clothing. Usagi insisted that they would go shopping again next weekend, but Hermione had enough clothing to tide her over until then. Usagi paid for the clothing, and then they headed for their next stop—the bookstore.

It did not look like a bookstore in the front. A short man sat at a desk, shuffling papers and appearing as though he were pretending to work. To one side of him was an elevator and the other side had a door. Usagi spoke briefly to the man in Japanese, and then the three women got into the elevator. When they got off, Hermione's eyes brightened. They were in a branch of Flourish and Blotts.

"I've got your Hogwarts letter in here somewhere..." Usagi fished around in her pocket and pulled out a crumpled envelope. "And, since you're to start training with us at Dumbledore's request, there are a couple of other books for you to read in the next few days." She gave Hermione the envelope and another scrap of paper with three titles. "Feel free to pick out some things for yourself as well. The girls will be at school most of the time, so you'll either be with me or alone. Well, probably not ever alone, but you don't want to spend all your time listening to me gossip."

Usagi made a "shooing" motion at her, and she gladly slipped into the stacks. She found the books on the lists and spent nearly two hours browsing. Aside from all the required work, she picked up four books for herself—three non-fiction books and one fluffy bit of fiction from a favorite childhood author. When she finally met up with Usagi and Minako near the checkout counter, the blondes rolled their eyes at her large pile of books but made no verbal complaint.

"All right, lunch time," Usagi declared with a grin, glancing at her watch.

They ate out at a small, muggle café, seated outdoors and watching the busy world that was Tokyo rush by. Hermione poked at her food, ate enough not to be yelled at, and listened as Usagi and Minako chatted away about a friend of theirs whose husband was apparently an idiot. She couldn't help but smile at a few of the antics mentioned, but most of the time she sat with a blank expression on her face.

Usagi couldn't help but notice, and tried gently to include Hermione in the conversation. However, she whole-heartedly believed that the best thing for the girl at the moment was activity, and so ate quickly and tried not to distract Minako too much from the food. Once the meal was over, she ushered Hermione up from the table, and the group continued the shopping trip.

By mid-afternoon, they had replaced most of what Hermione would need for school—parchment and quills, a cauldron and various other knick-knacks. Everything was shrunk down to fit inside a couple of plastic shopping bags that Usagi carried. By the time they finished shopping and left Minako at the door to her ridiculously large mansion, Hermione felt ready to fall over and sleep right there on the sidewalk. By some miracle, they made it back to Usagi's apartment, but Hermione wanted nothing more than to curl up in a bed and sleep for days.

"I'm so tired..." she mumbled as they walked in the door. Usagi chuckled.

"Well, it is early morning in England. The easiest way to deal with the time change is to stay awake as long as you can. I'll go make you some coffee, and we'll see if we can keep you up until about seven. Then you can go to bed and sleep as late as you want tomorrow."

Usagi led her to the kitchen and sat her down in a chair. As she puttered around making coffee, Hermione fought the urge to pillow her head on her arms on the table and fall asleep. Somehow she managed to stay awake long enough for Usagi to make the coffee. She normally wasn't that fond of coffee, but it was warm and she felt mildly better. She knew she would crash in a couple of hours and there would be no helping her, but it would do for now. Her thoughts, jumbled though they were, were interrupted by the front door opening and an excited female voice shouting something in Japanese.

They did not look like twins in the way Fred and George looked like twins. They had a few similar characteristics, but being short and slender could just be a coincidence. However, something about the way they acted just screamed "sisters!" The pink-haired girl was talking excitedly in Japanese to her mother, completely oblivious to the world, while the dark-haired girl stood beside her and threw in the occasional comment, usually making Usagi laugh and the pink-haired girl blush.

"Oi girls, English from now on. You need to practice if you're going to understand lessons at Hogwarts," Usagi said, smiling brightly. The two girls stopped talking and turned to look at Hermione. The pink-haired one teetered for a moment, a look of indecision on her face before she threw her arms around Hermione.

"Imouto-chan!" she squealed. The dark-haired girl smiled prettily, putting a delicate hand up to her face.

"That's not English," she said, her voice soft. "My name is Hotaru, and she is Chibi-Usa."

Chibi-Usa finally let go of Hermione, and the brunette gave thanks for being able to breathe again. "I've always wanted a real younger sister. Hotaru hardly counts, after all."

"All right, girls. Now that you've all met, you'd best leave Hermione alone. She's had a long day, and doesn't need you pestering her. Why don't you go find Helios or something? Hermione and I have things we need to discuss," Usagi said, ushering the girls out of the kitchen. When they were gone, she turned and sat down at the table across from Hermione.

"She's very..." Hermione struggled for a proper descriptor.

"Affectionate and energetic. She's very much like I was at her age. Hotaru is much more a mixture of her father and me. Anyway, I've been trying to take your mind off things all day, but we can't run from it forever. For tonight, I'm just going to tell you about myself, but tomorrow I want to hear some of your feelings. Once you talk it through, it starts to work its way out of your system, and I'm sure you didn't talk it out with Severus. Really, I don't understand what Albus was thinking, leaving you in the dreary old house with Severus. Hardly the place for a girl in your situation."

"Professor Snape was...reasonable," Hermione mumbled. She sipped her coffee, and the two sat in silence for a moment.

"He's a good man, but he's very much socially inept. He should have let you stay with the Weasley family. Molly knows how to take care of people. Anyway, we were going to talk about what happened to me. I'm technically a Pureblood, but my parents died when I was a baby, and I was raised by Muggles. Needless to say, I very much supported Muggles, and the Dark Lord very much disliked me for it. My line is old and powerful, and it irked him to know that I would never support him or his ideals. I went to Hogwarts, and was in Gryffindor and I lived a relatively carefree life. That year, I had turned sixteen early in the summer, and I had my debut on Halloween..." She started to go on, but Hermione interrupted her.

"Sorry, I don't really know about this debut stuff...some of the girls in my year mentioned it a few times, but..."

"Of course, it's usually a Pureblood thing. I keep forgetting. A debut is a ball held for a girl sometime usually shortly after her sixteenth birthday, signifying a transition into womanhood. Traditionally, at her debut a girl would meet all the eligible men, and shortly after she would become engaged to whomever she or her parents deemed most worthy. It's changed over the past decade, and now girls generally use it to begin exploring their sexuality. I thank the gods I caved to that bit of peer pressure, because the next night the Death Eaters attacked my Muggle home. We had a bit of a break from school, and in those days, we could return home on some choice weekends. I suppose it happened in a way similar to what you experienced, though my Muggle parents had a son I considered a brother. I didn't see what happened to my parents, but he tried to protect me. He was fourteen..." Usagi stopped for a moment and wiped a tear from her eye. "Thankfully they didn't want to 'waste their energy' torturing him. Anyway, I could hear my parents screaming as two of the Death Eaters dragged me into my bedroom. One of them was a woman, and she kept urging the other to hurry up. He took his mask off..."

"Lucius Malfoy," Hermione hissed. Usagi nodded.

"He...he was furious that I wasn't a virgin, and called me horrible names. I think they would have killed me, but a friend of mine showed up at the house. She was also a pureblood, and they would not risk hurting her. Malfoy was trying to convince her to marry him at the time, and didn't want to risk the benefits he would reap by marrying her. Anyway, she found me in my room, and the next day we moved to Japan, along with a few other friends from Hogwarts. I enrolled in Ohtori Academy, where my girls go now, and about a month later, I learned that I was pregnant."

"That must have been terrible," Hermione said. She could feel the tears running down her cheeks, though she didn't want to admit it. Everything was so similar to her own experience, which she had pushed as far back in her mind as she could over the past week. She would have hated anyone else for bringing up the memories, but Usagi understood what she was going through. Usagi was crying as well, silently.

"Come here, child," she said, wiping at her eyes. Hermione got up obediently and let herself be curled up on Usagi's lap, comforting arms wrapped tightly around her. It was a little awkward, as she was a good four inches taller than Usagi, but it felt good to be held. "It's alright to cry," Usagi whispered as Hermione sobbed into her shoulder.

They stayed that way for almost an hour. Hermione's sobbing would ebb for a while, but some random thought would bring on a fresh bout of tears. Usagi held her and petted her hair, whispering comforting words and occasionally weeping herself. Eventually, Hermione ran out of tears to cry and fell asleep in Usagi's arms.

* * *

I felt compelled to finish this chapter before I left for vacation. Therefor, if there are any spelling/grammar errors, I'm sorry. I always run spell check, but it doesn't catch everything, and I haven't gone over this as thoroughly as I normally do.

I was pleasantly surprised by the response to this story. While many of you fail at constructive criticism, it is still always nice to know a story is appreciated. For examples of good reviews, please read what samisweet and TheMello said in their reviews. TheMello didn't really criticize anything, but went in depth and showed that she actually read the story. I'm going to reply to most reviews, assuming enough was left for me to reply to.

Chibi Pyro Duo-I'm glad you find the plot unique. There are a lot of little clichés, but overall I try to keep it original. Hermione was attacked about ten days prior to the start of the story. She's just trying to be brave like a good Gryffindor, and if I were her and stuck at Snape's house, I wouldn't cry. I'd be too scared. Anyway, she's going to work through everything, and everyone reacts differently, so hopefully it won't be too OOC.

TheMello-Fantastic review. Cookie for you. Anyway, most of your questions will be answered in the next few chapters. Most of the story will be learned through either Hermione or Harry (mostly Hermione, but you just can't get away from that damned Boy-Who-Lived), but other characters including Draco will get some spotlight.

samisweet-Conducive is a word. I promise. As for other spelling and grammar, I'll go back and check again. I always use spell check, so any problems are just typos that I missed. I'm sorry you didn't find it more interesting.

Mayla-Hermione wasn't raped by Draco...and anyway, she isn't getting pregnant. She made it to the infirmary almost immediately. As for Ocs, I'll keep you in mind, though I don't have anything planned yet.

angelwings6117-Your questions will be answered in the next few chapters. I'm glad you think I'm keeping people in character—it's always something I strive to do correctly.

Everyone else, thank you for your reviews. I would prefer more depth, but I'm not going to complain.

I'm going on vacation, so don't expect anything before the 4th of July. I won't have access to a computer during that time.


	3. Chapter 2

I would like to take this opportunity to say a few things. First, I'm not going to tell you beforehand about couples. I've had a lot of people ask if this will be Usagi/Severus. Well...you'll just have to wait and find out, won't you. :evil cackles:

Secondly, this story will contain a few original characters. Before you hit the X button at the top of your screen, let me explain a few things about original characters, as they pertain to this story. Number one: none of the original characters I've created are based off anyone I know, or myself. They are all completely made up. Number two: None of the original characters will be paired with canon characters. Number three: the original characters will not be the entire focus of the story. The story will focus on a few HP characters and a few SM characters, and will occasionally, I repeat OCCASIONALLY check in with the original characters. Number four: I will attempt to keep the original characters as believable as possible. They will have strengths and weaknesses, and hopefully they will not fall into the "original-character-with-one-major-flaw" stereotypes. I've seen enough "she's-gorgeous-and-smart-and-strong-but-just-happens-to-be-clumsy" characters to know that they are annoying.

I beg of you-read the story, and if the original characters still bother you, leave me a review telling me what's wrong with them. Then, if it's horrible, you can stop reading. But don't just leave without giving this a chance. The story really does center on Sailor Moon and Harry Potter. You can think of the OCs as the new characters you might meet in the next Harry Potter book. If they aren't up to your standards, let me know, for my own future reference. If no one bothers to tell me they hate my OCs, I might continue to write them unknowingly.

Anyway, enough babbling. So much for putting ANs at the bottom, eh?

PS: I suggest you get EXTREMELY familiar with the Japanese names of characters, aside from just the senshi. If anyone asks me who Calaveras or Yuuichirou are, I might just get angry. If you honestly can't find the information on the web, let me know and I'll compile a list.

**Chapter Two**

Calaveras grumbled under her breath as she trudged up the winding gravel pathway, too upset to notice the tender care that had been given the grounds around her. She hated this place. It gave her the creeps, and hiking from the front gate to the house (a good hundred meters) always made her sweaty. Still, messages had to be delivered, and she had volunteered for the job. She just didn't understand why the South American team had chosen just south of Bogota, Columbia of all places to head their operations. Surely they could have found some place less...near the equator.

The anti-Apparation ward surrounding the grounds did nothing to make her situation easier. Instead of simply Apparating into the house, she had to Apparate outside the gates and walk the rest of the way. She understood the reasoning behind the wards, as Colombia was not only home to Muggle drug lords but also many criminals of the Wizarding variety, but she wished that there were a simpler way for her to make contact with the South American team.

The house looked very much out of place in South America. It was a huge, three-story manor that looked like it belonged in a Victorian horror novel. Silently, Calaveras thought it fit its owners perfectly, but she would never voice that opinion aloud. As she faced the thick, wooden front door, she grasped the brass knocker in her hand and knocked three times. Before the third knock had time to finish its haunting echo, an unseen house elf opened the door, and Calaveras strode inside gracefully. The master of the house was a wealthy aristocrat, and there was no way in hell she was going to look out of sorts in his presence.

Outside, the sky was pink, the sun barely visible above the horizon. Silently, she cursed. She was early, and he was probably not out of bed yet. She and her sisters constantly moved from France to Columbia to San Francisco to South Africa, and she never got the time changes right. Still, she realized she had time and stopped in front of a shiny suit of armor placed in a niche in the foyer. She had plenty of time to adjust her hair and makeup before heading into the parlor.

She quickly tucked away an errant lock of brown hair and reapplied her lipstick. She puckered up at the suit of armor and the smirked at her reflection. She looked good. Turning, she walked down the familiar hallway and entered the parlor. To her surprise, the room was occupied. A pale man sat at a piano, his fingers moving rapidly over the keys and producing a haunting song. His long, black hair had been pulled into a ponytail, tied with a black silk ribbon, and his brown eyes were closed as though he were lost in the music. She knew better.

"Calaveras, you are early," he said in Japanese, his voice soft and accented. "Last time you were late." He stopped the music and turned to her, flashing a cryptic smile.

"Forgive me," she said, turning her eyes from his face. Those teeth always managed to unnerve her.

"Never mind. You want the report, and then you wish to leave Bogota, correct?" She nodded numbly.

He stood from the piano, picking up a box that had been sitting on top. Setting it down on the table, he lifted the lid and Calaveras gaped. The velvet-lined box contained a small stack of papers, written in the man's neat Japanese, and a yellow gem, sparkling despite the dim lighting.

"Nijizuishou," she breathed. "Where did you find it?"

"I did not find it. Isidoro and Sofia found an underground chamber far beneath the Aztec city of Tenochtitlán, where the crystal lay hidden. The letters explain it all. Feel free to read them. Now, unless you have some news to deliver for me, I believe you are free to go."

His tone of voice did not imply any sort of command, but Calaveras knew that he had things he would rather be doing than speaking with her. Still, she had important information to relay, and despite her jitters, she couldn't just leave. Closing the box and picking it up, she summoned her courage to address him.

"Dumbledore wants to begin gathering, even though we haven't found all of the nijizuishou. He's already summoned Asia, and plans to summon Europe later in the year. Salem is coming as well. He wants you and your wife to return to England toward the end of summer. Make contacts among the purebloods and establish yourselves in society. Severus Snape has offered to board you until you find lodgings of your own, and you may use his name in your letters of introduction." Letters of introduction often mentioned a common friend as a means to assure one party of the other's worth. Snape was a wealthy pureblood, and his name would open a number of doors.

"And what of Sofia and Isidoro?" he asked. He appeared to be attached to his team.

"They will stay and continue to search for nijizuishou and any other artifacts or runes that might help. You use muggle technology to communicate anyway, right? You can still work together."

Her words did not seem to reassure him completely, but he smiled. "Very well. Carmina and I shall prepare for our return to England. Anything else?" Calaveras shook her head. "Very well. It was pleasant seeing you again. I suppose this will be the last time until we group in England? I shall miss you."

He grasped her hand and raised it to his lips, and she allowed it, though it gave her chills. He walked her to the door, silent with a small smile on his face. Calaveras repressed a shudder as she wondered what he was thinking about. In all likelihood, he was only thinking of his wife and all the pretty things he could buy for her in Diagon Alley, but she couldn't help but believe he might also be thinking about all the nasty ways he could kill her. He'd never shown her anything but civility, but she didn't trust him any farther than she could throw him.

Walking down the drive, she cursed silently to herself. Once again, her fears were unfounded and she left the estate of Andrea Mancini without a scratch. She couldn't help but think he realized her fears and was laughing at her. As she reached the front gate and stepped off the eerie property, she looked up at the gibbous moon rising silently in the sky. The sun had set while she had been inside, the sky melting from pink and orange to a deep blue, punctured by thousands of stars.

* * *

Hermione awoke the next morning with rather crusty eyes, but she felt better than she had since the attack. Aside from those two days in the infirmary, she hadn't allowed herself to cry. The last thing she wanted to do was annoy Snape with her sniffles, so she'd bottled everything up. Usagi had easily slipped the lid off that bottle, unleashing a tide of emotions the girl didn't even realize was there.

Climbing out of bed, she padded into the bathroom for her normal morning ritual. She had begun the terrifying process of taming down her hair when she heard a knock at her bedroom door. She left the bathroom with brush in hand and opened the door. Usagi stood there, wearing a blue kimono and with a soft smile on her face.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked. Before Hermione could reply, Usagi took the brush from her hand and sat her down in the chair in front of the mirrored vanity. "We're going to the temple today, so you should probably wear one of the kimonos. Rei Hino is the head priestess, and she's going to begin teaching you things you won't ever learn at Hogwarts."

Hermione murmured something that sounded vaguely affirmative. Usagi brushing her hair felt nice, and she almost sighed aloud when the older woman finished. Then Usagi pulled out one of the kimonos and helped Hermione put it on correctly. Tying the obi would have been quite a challenge without help, and Hermione was thankful she didn't have to figure it out on her own.

"All right, time for breakfast," Usagi said enthusiastically. "I made pancakes."

The pancakes turned out to be fantastic, though looking at the kitchen would not inspire one's confidence. Flour had found its way onto places it had no right being, and the counter near the stove looked in need of a good scrubbing. Still, the pancakes were good, and Usagi managed a spell to clean up the mess, blushing slightly.

As she was finishing her meal, Chibi-Usa and Hotaru entered the room with a young man whose age Hermione couldn't quite determine. He had fluffy, soft-looking white hair and reddish brown eyes that spent most of their time looking fondly at Chibi-Usa. He wore a white tunic with military-looking ornaments and carried a box under one arm. His other rested around Chibi-Usa's shoulders. Holding out the box, he spoke.

"We've had a bit of success in Bogota."

When Usagi saw the contents of the box, she squealed. "Nijizuishou!" Hermione had no idea what the word meant, but she assumed it referred to the yellow crystal sitting in the box. She'd never seen anything like it, but she could feel the magic radiating from it. "Where was it?" Usagi asked.

"Under Tenochtitlán, which was the Aztec capital city," the white-haired young man replied.

"But wasn't Tenochtitlán built on a lake?" Hermione asked, puzzled. "How would one get under such a city?"

"Smart girl," he complimented. "The Aztecs, and many other Meso- and South American tribes had strong magic at their disposal. Sofia Valdez Ramos, who is part of our team in South America and likes hunting around in temples, crashed into a set of runes on accident and opened up a charmed underground chamber where the nijizuishou and many other treasures lay buried. Most of our success has come out of Aztec ruins."

"I've got about fifteen questions," Hermione admitted. "First of all, who are you? Secondly, what's a nijizuishou? Third, why do we want it?" It was obvious that she had more questions, but Usagi held up a hand, asking for quiet.

"My name is Helios. For now, all you need know is that I am a seventh year student at Beauxbatons Academy, and that I work as a courier for the Order. You're Hermione Granger, correct?" He bowed to her, and she stared dumbly at him, nodding. "I believe Usagi-san can explain the nijizuishou better than I." He tugged on Chibi-Usa's hand and the two of them disappeared.

"Go chaperone," Usagi said to Hotaru, smiling. Hotaru rolled her eyes and followed her sister. "Now, nijizuishou are crystals. Niji translates to rainbow, and ziushou or suishou means crystal. So, rainbow crystals. There are seven scattered around the world. There is a legend in my family of a talisman called Ginzuishou, or Silver Crystal, which was created by the first of my line, possibly even before the time of Merlin. The Ginzuishou is supposed to possess unsurpassed magical power, and may even have the power to bring back the dead. An early member of my line unleashed this power at the cost of her own life, and the crystal shattered from the strain. The seven fragments vanished, and have been hidden throughout the world for hundreds of years. I didn't really believe in them until Rei found one at a temple she was visiting in Hokkaido about ten years ago. Another was found deep in the jungle in the Congo. The South American team has turned up two. The other they found at the bottom of Lake Guatavita, in Colombia, along with what is most likely the treasure associated with El Dorado."

Hermione gaped. "El Dorado? Isn't that just supposed to by a mythical city?" Usagi shook her head.

"That's what I thought, but Helios got the story from Sophia and her partner Isidoro. The legend comes out of a South America tribe called Chibcha. Whenever a new king was initiated, he was covered in fine gold dust and paddled out to the middle of Lake Guatavita and offered gold and jewels as a sacrifice to the gods. When the Spanish learned of this, they were convinced that they could find a fortune in gold beneath the lake, but none were successful in finding the treasure. Through some conniving, the leader of the South America branch managed to purchase the lake and the surrounding land, and with a bit of magic, they found what they were looking for," Usagi smiled. "There was quite a bit of gold, but not nearly as much as what the legends predict. South America single handedly keeps the Order financed."

"Just how big is the Order, anyway?" Hermione asked.

"Well, only Dumbledore knows every member, but I know we have at least a few members on every continent. I head the Asia branch. We also have bases in southern France, Cape Town in South Africa, Bogota in Columbia, Salem and San Francisco in the United States, and of course England. I don't know the exact numbers, but the major concentrations are in England and here in Japan. Technically, we only have four members in Africa, but they hire locals to do most of the work. None of them are very good at languages..." Usagi giggled at something Hermione didn't see. "Anyway, anything else?"

"Do the Death Eaters have members all over the world?"

"I know they have cells in every country in Europe, and a few members in North America. However, they're snobby and I doubt many of them would bother learning foreign tongues. Maybe French or some other Romance language, but not Japanese or anything. You have no idea how difficult it is to get around a country when you don't know the language. I went to Mongolia for a few days..." Usagi shuddered. "Thank Merlin I had a guide."

"Surely one or two Death Eaters knows Japanese..." Hermione insisted. It would be so much more practical.

"Oh, Severus speaks Japanese, but he can't come over here due to his invaluable position at Hogwarts," Usagi said, grinning. Hermione saw the humor in the situation, and for the first time in over a week she giggled. It was short and soft, but it was clearly a giggle, and Usagi congratulated herself for the small achievement. "They might have someone else who speaks Japanese, but they concentrate solely on England. If they won there, they would undoubtedly set their sights on Europe and maybe, eventually, the rest of the world, but they like to take baby steps. Anyway, we need to be going. Rei is expecting us at the temple in just a couple of minutes, and I doubt you've ever walked up temple steps before."

Hermione had not walked up temple steps before, and did not know what Usagi was talking about. By the time she finally made it to the top of said steps, huffing and puffing, she understood.

* * *

Harry Potter sat alone with Remus Lupin in the den at Twelve Grimmauld Place, head in his hands. He hadn't slept since he found out what had happened to Hermione, and had hardly eaten anything. His mind was churning furiously with thousands of questions, and while the response from those around him was mildly better than last summer, it was still not satisfying. Everyone else seemed so busy, rushing in and out of the house for whatever reason. He had finally managed to catch Remus for a talk.

"Tell me everything you know about this woman Hermione's with," Harry demanded. He had been assured that Usagi was powerful and kind, but he would feel more comfortable if he knew more about her.

"Merlin, Harry. I haven't seen her in...almost seventeen years. Where to start?" Remus smiled fondly, and Harry felt a bit better. "She's about four years younger than me. When she came to Hogwarts, she made fast friends with your mum and through her, with us. She made Gryffindor and we just...took her under our wing. Everyone in Gryffindor liked her, and she made tons of friends outside. Even some Slytherins, believe it or not. Her best friend was in Slytherin, actually. She always called me her niichan, which means big brother."

"What about magically? She's supposed to be really powerful, right?" Harry interrupted. He could understand that Usagi was likable, and he was pretty sure Lupin was crazy about her, but that wouldn't help a bit if Death Eaters tried to hunt Hermione down.

"I don't suppose anyone has every told you about the Serenity bloodline," Lupin said. Harry shook his head. "She can trace her bloodline back to well before the time of Merlin, and that bloodline can do certain kinds of magic no others could. They can heal injuries and purify darkened souls, and they can wipe out truly Dark wizards without casting any sort of Unforgivable. Usagi was adept at any magic but she never got the theory behind anything. She could turn a slug into a working piano by her second year, but she got horrible grades. She put absolutely no effort whatsoever into studying or writing essays."

"She'll drive Hermione mad," Harry commented, feeling sorry for his friend. This Usagi lady was probably the sweetest, most powerful witch in the world, but if she made any comments on studying too hard or not relaxing enough, Hermione would be upset at the very least.

"Who knows. It's been almost seventeen years since she went to Japan and no one but Dumbledore's heard a peep out of her since then. Who knows how much she's changed, especially after what happened. The same thing that happened to Hermione happened to Usagi when she was sixteen." Remus looked down at his hands. "If Rei hadn't found her, she probably would have bled to death just from the rape..."

Harry didn't know a lot the physiological...effects of rape, but that sounded horribly painful. Lupin had his head in his hands and looked as though he was trying not to cry. Usagi must have been really important to him, to get this sort of reaction out of him after seventeen years. Harry got up and put a hand on Lupin's arm.

"We're going to destroy every last Death Eater," Harry said, his voice cool and dangerous sounding. "Lucius Malfoy first."

* * *

I debated adding another scene on the end going back to the original character introduced in the first scene, but decided against it. It would have been short, and you've waited long enough for this chapter as it is. I have a few more words to say in regards to my OCs.

At the end of each chapter, I will have a brief summary of the OCs in the chapter, especially at the beginning when they are first being introduced. I will introduce them one or two per chapter (or less) in attempts to avoid confusing you. Many people seem to get confused if you have too many OCs. I will not reveal anything that wasn't in the chapter, but the short notes might help sum things up for you.

Secondly, as I introduce the new characters, let me know what you think of each one. Comment on each individual. Did you like this one person but hate this other? Was any particular one bordering on Mary-Sue-ism? What did you think of their personality? Anything I might change to make things easier or better? I really do appreciate any feedback, positive and especially negative. I actually rather enjoy reasonable flames, because they help me write better. Don't be afraid to hurt my feelings if you absolutely hate my OCs, or even some other part of my story.

Okay, the main OC in this chapter is Andrea Mancini. He's a wealthy aristocrat living in a manor south of Bogota, Columbia. He heads a cell of the Order of Phoenix, he can play the piano, and he speaks Japanese. It can be assumed he speaks Spanish (lives in a Spanish-speaking country) and Italian (his name's Italian). The cell he runs is looking in ancient Aztec, Maya and Inca ruins for nijizuishou and other artifacts. He creeps Calaveras out, even though he acts like a gentleman.

Other characters mentioned, but not actually appearing are his wife, Carmina, whom he dotes on, a woman named Sofia Valdez Ramos who is a bit of a clumsy tomb raider, and her partner Isidoro, who we know nothing else about.

On Aztec/Inca/Maya/etc mythology: It all comes from a book I own called _Mythology of the American Nations_. It's all as true as any myth is. Don't ever ask me to pronounce anything...I can't.

On Nijizuishou/Ginzuishou: The translations as Usagi gives them are as accurate as I can determine based on my _Sailor Moon Role-playing Guide and Resource Book_ and my English/Japanese dictionary. The dubbists got something right...:dies:

On names: Because the characters are really, really, really speaking English, I am giving names in English order, or given name then family name. If I change this, I will point it out in the text, but it can be assumed that characters will be speaking in English for the greater part of this story.

Calaveras: is Avery in the dub, one of the four sisters who work for Rubeus in the second season. I realized that Sin didn't even recognize the name, so I will do a list of more minor characters who will appear in the story.

Dub:Japanese (family name, given name form)

Jedite:Jadeite

Nephlite:Neprite

Zoycite:Zoicite

Malachite:Kunzite

Catzi:Cooan

Bertie:Beruche

Avery:Calaveras

Prizma:Petz

Molly Baker:Osaka Naru

Melvin:Umino Gurio

Andrew:Furuhata Motoki

Chad:Kumada Yuuichirou

Sammy:Tsukino Shingo

Greg:Uwara Ryo

That's all I can think of for now. If any other characters pop up, I'll add them. Otherwise, I think I'm done for now. I hope you enjoyed!


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"We can rest here for a few minutes if you want." Usagi said, smiling in sympathy as Hermione struggled to catch her breath.

"How…did…you…?"

"I've been running up and down these stairs since I was sixteen." Usagi explained. "Rei likes everyone to be on time, so when there's a meeting…" She shrugged. "I must spend an hour every week climbing the darned things."

When she could finally breathe normally again Hermione took the opportunity to glance around. They were standing on an open, tiled patio area surrounded by trees. At the end of the patio sat the small, delicate framework that made up the Shinto Temple. It was a peaceful scene, all gleaming pillars and intricate scrollwork set beneath the angled shingles of the roof. Hermione thought it looked rather like something she had seen in one of her books on world cultures.

"It's so…" She began, but was promptly cut off as the peace of the temple was shattered by a blood-curdling scream.

"Yuuichirou!"

A shaggy-haired man with a grizzly beard and wide, terrified eyes came tearing out from behind the dainty building. He was running as though his very life depended upon it and as he ran he was howling out apologies and excuses in Japanese so quickly that Hermione couldn't even catch all of the syllables.

"Oh dear." Usagi said with a soft sigh.

"Who…?"

Then a beautiful woman with long, black hair and pale skin darted out into the open, wielding a broom like a Japanese sword. Her violet eyes were almost black with anger, her lovely face contorted with pure rage.

"I'm going to smack you silly you little worm!" She declared. "I'll hit you so hard the next time you wake up your hair will have grown three inches! If you ever see the light of day again why I'll…" Her expression changed when she caught sight of Usagi and her charge. Suddenly she stopped, a smile transforming her face. "Usagi! I wasn't expecting you for at last another ten minutes."

"I left early.' Usagi explained solemnly. Then she glanced over at the man, who was leaning against one of the trees, still muttering incoherently. "Should we come back later?"

"Oh no." The woman waved a hand dismissively. "He just forgot to chop wood for the baths yesterday, that's all.' She smiled at the man. "Maybe if he does it now I'll forget all about it."

With a tiny yip the man disappeared behind the temple once more, and a few minutes later Hermione could hear what had to be the sound of someone chopping wood. Then Usagi was speaking again and she turned her attention to the two women once more.

"Rei, this is Hermione Granger. She is staying with me for a while. Hermione, this is my friend and the priestess of this temple, Hino Rei."

"Oh dear, you must forgive me." Rei exclaimed. "I forgot Usagi was bringing you this morning. Please, just ignore my husband. Yuuichirou has a tendency to…well, slack off I guess you'd say." She smiled. "Why don't the two of you come on inside and I'll make some tea."

They followed Rei inside and Hermione couldn't help but stare around her as they moved through the interior of the building. It was very plain, mostly unadorned save the elegantly painted screens found throughout the rooms. They depicted quiet mountainsides and birds in flight, cranes arching their necks as they scooped fish from the river.

"Please, makes yourselves comfortable." Rai said as they entered what appeared to be a sitting room. "I'll be back in just a moment." She left them, sliding the door closed behind her.

"This place is amazing." Hermione murmured.

'It is beautiful." Usagi agreed. "I'll have Rei give you a tour a little later if you like. There are extensive grounds in the back and a small pond as well."

"That would be wonderful."

Rei returned a few moments later bearing a tray. She set out cups and saucers and began pouring the tea, speaking as she did so.

"You may not like the tea. I'd imagine that it's rather different than what you're used to."

When they were all drinking and Hermione had discovered that she _did_ like the tea, Usagi began to explain the reason for their visit.

"Over the next few weeks Rei is going to be teaching you to mediate, how to utilize your powers for wandless magic, and even a little bit about elemental magic." The blonde woman made a face. "She's much better at wandless magic than most of the rest of us and she's a wonderful teacher. I will be dropping you off here for a few hours a couple of afternoons a week. Then you can practice what you've learned at home with Hotaru."

"I'm afraid I don't quite understand the theory behind wandless magic." Hermione admitted, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Very few people do." Rei replied soothingly. "That's why there are several departments worldwide who are doing research on it even now. The idea behind doing magic without a wand or a tool of any kind is mostly just being able to connect your own natural abilities with the strength and the direction of your will."

"Kind of like 'where there's a will, there's a way'?" Hermione asked tentatively.

"Exactly. If you can touch the power within yourself and channel it using your will, you can do just about any kind of magic without having to pick up your wand. It's very handy in situations where you've been disarmed, or you don't want to show yourself to a Muggle crowd."

"Most wizards and witches can do it before they ever go away to school." Usagi broke in. "Then they get their wands and learn spells and they never have a reason to do it again. For instance, I believe your friend Harry blew up his aunt a few years ago?"

"Yes." Hermione stifled a laugh. "She made him angry and he made her puff up like a balloon."

"That would be an example of wandless magic. He was angry with his aunt and he wanted something bad to happen to her. No doubt he was thinking about how fat and full of hot air she was and…poof! She begins to fill with actual air and she ends up to be ten times as fat as she was before."

Rei was nodding her agreement, an amused light dancing in her eyes.

"Actually, Harry is a very strong candidate for wandless magic. Most students lose their aptitude as soon as they begin learning spells but Harry has had several occurrences since he began attending school."

Suddenly Usagi let out a wail, scrambling to her feet.

"I'm sorry Rei, Hermione. I completely forgot, I'm supposed to pick up Hotaru and Chibi-Usa from study group." She scrambled toward the door. "I'll be back in an hour or so to pick you up Hermione." Then with a loud –Pop!- she Disapparated.

Rei shook her head, reaching out to put Usagi's empty teacup back onto the tray.

"She hasn't changed very much since we were young; she's still always running late." She finished clearing the table and stood up, her hands disappearing into the sleeves of her robe. "If you like I'll give you a tour now. Then we'll sit for a little while and I can begin teaching you how to draw upon your power."

Hermione nodded and followed the dark-haired woman out of the tearoom and along a winding pathway through the temple. Most of the rooms, as Hermione had already seen, were very plain and held very little ornamentation. Rei explained that the lack of décor was to encourage those staying in the temple to pursue things within their own minds.

"Do you often have guests?" Hermione inquired when Rei showed her the guest chambers.

"Mostly just traveling Order members." Rei replied. "Though every now and then we have scholars, or priestesses from other temples." She opened the back door, walking out onto a narrow wooden porch. "Our lands stretch for quite a distance." She explained waving a hand at the trees that surrounded the yard and the distance liquid shimmer of the pond. "We need plenty of room for meditation, and the trees give us firewood."

"It really is a very beautiful place." Hermione commented softly. Her eyes settled on the glittering waters of the pond and she smiled, feeling a measure of peace stealing over her as she gazed at it. Then she caught sight of a strange tree off to one side. It was hung with hundreds of charms and pieces of paper. "What's that?"

"Oh." Rei moved toward the tree. "A prayer tree. People buy charms and write prayers and hang them from the tree."

Fascinated, Hermione drifted closer.

"What do they ask for?"

"Luck mostly. Maybe love, or forgiveness from those they might have hurt in the past. A few ask for peace or rest after a particularly difficult time. I know Usagi asked for peace when she came back to Japan."

_After she was raped, like me_. Hermione thought sadly.

"May I write a prayer?" She asked suddenly.

"Of course." Rei disappeared for a moment before returning with a slip of paper and a quill. "You can write it here, and then choose any branch on the tree to hang it."

Hermione took the paper, staring at it for a few moments in silence as she considered what she wanted to ask for. Then she wrote a few words on the paper, folded it in half, and tied it to one of the lower branches of the tree. As she moved away to regard it from the porch she felt a smile grace her lips.

_I just want an end to it._ She thought. _I want us all to be able to laugh again._

Rei watched her with a sad smile thinking that, despite the obvious personality differences between the two, the girl standing before her reminded her a great deal of another girl who had stood in a very similar position sixteen years before.

Then Hermione was walking towards her once again, and Rei remembered what she was supposed to be teaching the girl.

"Why don't we go inside now?" She asked. "There are mats in the storage area, and if I'm going to teach you how to draw on your power I'm going to have to begin by teaching you how to meditate."

A sudden image of sitting in Professor Trelawney's tower classroom as she struggled with Divination came to mind. Trelawney had always said things like 'learn to draw on your inner psychic strength' and 'see with your mind's eye…' Hermione stifled a groan and Rei laughed out loud.

"I know what you're thinking." She said, clearly amused. "Don't worry, what I'm going to teach you is nothing like the crap that Trelawney tried to batter you with. That woman may be naturally clairvoyant but I swear, she doesn't have an ounce of sense in her entire body."

Feeling somewhat relieved Hermione followed Rei inside. As they took bamboo mats from one of the storage areas she though that, maybe, this might be a little more interesting than Divination. And, she thought idly as Rei began to explain meditation to her, she thought that her new teacher looked rather like Hotaru when she smiled.

* * *

Anthony Voss's eyes never left the computer screen as he groped about the desk, hand searching instinctively for his coffee mug. Finding it, he raised it to his face and cursed under his breath when he found it empty. He slammed it down where he'd found it, never once looking away from the screen. If he didn't get some more coffee, he would crash in less than an hour. It was currently almost three in the morning, and the only thing keeping him awake was the caffeine rushing through his system.

He couldn't afford to stop now though. He'd been entering arithmantic equations into a database since after lunch and he was almost done. No sense in going to bed and waiting until later when he could finish it all right now. He just needed to remain conscious for another fifteen or twenty minutes…

He stared at the screen for a moment, eyes wide and blank. Then, he shook his head, raised one hand from the keyboard to push his glasses up and wipe at his eyes, and went back to typing. Just a little more…

Half an hour later, Michael Bauer returned home, stumbling slightly through the door. Glancing into the study, he saw Anthony bent over the computer, snoring softly. Three empty coffee mugs sat next to him, and a screensaver flashed pictures from various computer games of which the owner was quite fond. Michael giggled drunkenly at his predictable friend. He'd come home from his late-night barhopping more than once to find his work-obsessive companion passed out and drooling on his keyboard.

Sober, he knew trying to wake the computer-nerd was completely hopeless. However, being quite smashed, previous experience did not lend him wisdom, and he spent the next ten minutes poking, shaking and smacking his friend, all to no avail. Then, he was struck with a drunkenly brilliant plan and staggered his way into the kitchen. Preparations for this plan took another ten minutes, which was just silly since he was simply filling a plastic bowl with warm tap water.

On the way back to the den, he spilt the water and had to return to get more. The second attempt was successful, though, and he smirked as he set the precious bowl down on the desk. Then, giggling, he grabbed Anthony's limp wrist and set his hand into the water. The sleeping man didn't move a muscle as Michael tried to creep from the room. Creeping is an especially difficult task for the drunk.

He continued to creep as he made his way up the stairs, only running into the wall twice and managing not to fall to his death. However, at the top of the stairs stood certain doom, manifesting itself in the form of his dear big sister. Really, he loved her, but she did not seem to find his frequent drinking binges very amusing, and never ceased to tell him so. She also never slept. Ever. She was awake when he went to bed every night, and she was awake when he got up in the morning.

She was awake now, at three thirty in the morning, wearing sweat pants and an oversized T-shirt, arms crossed angrily over her chest. Her cobalt blue eyes, nearly identical to his, glared furiously. He smiled and waved at her, not trusting himself to speak.

"You realize we have a meeting in less than seven hours," she said coolly. He nodded, but had no idea what she was talking about. She huffed. "Cooan and Beruche will be here at nine for reports, and you'll be so hung over you won't be able to sit straight."

Michael giggled. "You said straight..." he mumbled, apparently amused about something. She hung her head and thrust a small vial at him.

"Drink this and go to bed," she instructed. He dared not argue and downed the vial. His foggy head cleared immediately.

"Thanks, Debs." He pecked her cheek like an obedient little brother and trotted off to bed for a few hours of sleep. He would definitely be needing a shower in the morning, as he reeked of alcohol and cigarettes. Deborah would never let him in front of guests smelling like a bar.

The woman in question stood at the top of the stairs for another minute, shaking her head in disbelief. Michael was thirty-eight years old, and she had hoped that at some point he would grow out of his childish behaviors, but that didn't seem likely. She was stuck with a teenage-acting boy until she could dump him off onto some unsuspecting woman thinking he was "cute." Finally, she sighed and went downstairs to check on Anthony.

She found him exactly as Michael had left him, sleeping on his keyboard with one hand in a bowl of warm water. She removed said bowl, along with all three coffee mugs and set them in the sink in the kitchen. Then, she returned to the office and propped Anthony back in his chair. She exited the database program and shut the computer down before levitating Anthony and setting him down on the couch in the next room. She removed his shoes, found him a blanket, and then left him to get some rest.

She did not sleep that night, though it wasn't really unusual. She had far too much work to do, and not nearly enough time. The entirety of her work revolved around finding cures and counter-curses to Unforgivables, and the benefits of any real solutions in her research far outweighed the negative of her being sleep deprived. So, she pushed, staying up all night reading, working every second of the day, pausing only for an hour nap here, a quick sandwich there.

She'd lost nearly twenty pounds in the last two years, and she didn't really have that much to lose. At forty, her dirty blond hair was getting lighter and lighter every year, and she was starting to get wrinkles, despite the cosmetic potions Anthony brewed for her. She had never really cared that much about how she looked, since looks were good for nothing other than attracting boys and she disliked boys as a general rule, but seeing her age in the mirror wasn't something anyone wanted.

In her room, she picked up the book she had set down earlier when she'd heard Michael stumble in and turned to the marked page. The book was a history documenting various efforts made throughout the ages to diminish the effects of the Cruciatus curse. Granted none had really been successful, thus giving the curse it's place as an unforgivable, but knowing what doesn't work eliminates things and makes ones own research more effective. There's no use in repeating past experiments that have failed. It was a waste of time Deborah simply could not afford.

* * *

So...it's been awhile, I know. But after book six came out, I had to think things out. I have decided that, since I don't want to give up on this story quite yet and because this story does not fit with book six at all, I will simply have to ignore book six. Therefor, no spoilers. Please don't put spoilers in your reviews, since some people haven't read the book yet. Thanks.

Now, reviews!

Hoshiko Megami-I'm glad my character intrigues you. Hopefully, characters will all stay good, since I hate OOC and bad original characters. Thanks for the review.

TheMello-Thank you much for giving the OC's a chance. You are a good reviewer, and I would hate to lose your comments. As for the rainbow crystal stuff...it probably isn't going to end the way you think. (If I'm thinking the way you're thinking...) We'll just have to see.

Usagi Asia Maxwell-It's very easy to use rape as a plot device and treat it as though it were only a minor problem to be dealt with in a few days. I'm glad you are enjoying the story so far and thank you for the review.

Healer-:blushes: You're quite right. When I said Bogota, I was thinking in my head BogotaSouth America team, but the way I wrote it was not clear at all. Thank you for pointing out my blunder.

Crescendo-Thank you for the review, and I will hopefully add some stories of Usagi at Hogwarts later in the fic.

Silver Moon Goddess1-Thanks for the review!

samisweet-I'm sorry I haven't had time to read your story. My job's been nuts...I have to work on my eighteenth birthday because we're so short staffed...anyway, I'll be quitting my job soon in preparation for going to college, so in a few weeks I might have some time.

Now, if anyone has a problem with the way this story goes (especially after book six came out), feel free to let me know. I may be able to work it all in if anyone feels it is necessary, but for now I don't want to spoil anything for those who haven't read it yet.

New characters-Anthony Voss, computer nerd who drinks way too much coffee

Michael Bauer-prankster who drinks way too much alcohol

Deborah Bauer-Michael's elder sister who works way too much...and never sleeps


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Felix Danell briefly considered being the responsible teacher he was paid to be, but then decided against it. For all the situation seemed horribly inappropriate, he knew without a doubt that the couple sleeping on his sofa had a completely platonic relationship. Well, platonic in the fact that they didn't have sex, anyway. They were definitely romantically involved, but would not take 'the leap' any time in the near future. Ares Danell, his twenty-seven-year-old son, did not fancy ending up in Azkaban for having sex with a fourteen-year-old. Never mind that said witch was the most brilliant student at Salem Academy with an intellect and maturity to rival the average middle-aged wizard.

That recently turned fourteen-year-old was Jess Flynn, a student who had just finished her fifth year at Salem Academy. She was the youngest student to ever sweep straight Outstandings in twelve OWL subjects, the limit one was allowed to take. She'd been thirteen at the time and had scared the officials administering her tests. Her sarcastic, condescending attitude had not helped her, but they saw quickly just how brilliant she was and could not fault her for being mean to them.

As her Arithmancy professor, he really shouldn't allow his son to cuddle on her like that, but they were just too cute to disturb. Her flaming red hair obscured both their faces, and he had an arm thrown lazily across her stomach. An old issue of _Ars Alchemia_ had fallen on the floor next to them, along with a pencil and a scrap of paper with random notes scribbled on it hastily. They had apparently been working on something and had fallen asleep.

Sighing, he went to the hall closet and pulled out a blanket for them. It always got cold on the ground floor at night, and they would probably not be getting up any time soon. Settling the blanket across them, he smiled and went into the kitchen, hoping he could find himself some chocolate before he had to call Jess's father and explain to him that she had, again, fallen asleep on his couch.

Jess Flynn's father was a stereotypical Irish-American with a tendency to drink and get angry. He was a good father, though, and always got understandably upset when his daughter spent the night and the Danell house. However, as a Muggle raising a precocious witch, he understood that she would benefit greatly from spending more time with her own kind. As much as he wanted her home with him where he knew she was safe, he let her come and go pretty much as she pleased just so long as he knew where she was and who she was with.

The phone call was less stressful than Felix had expected. The man on the other end sounded a bit dejected and more than a bit drunk, but he gave his permission without too much complaint. As Felix returned the handset to its cradle, he noticed the owl at the kitchen window, staring intently at him. He opened the window and took the letter, patting the bird's head. It hooted happily and took off.

The note was short and to the point. _There's been news from Bogota and England both. Meet tomorrow afternoon at two, and bring the kids. GL_

News came fairly often from England, but the mention of Bogota was rare and exciting. The kids mentioned were Ares and Jess, though both would kill Augustus 'Gus' LaRue for insinuating that they were children. Of course, compared to the eighty-two year old leader of Salem's branch of the Order of the Phoenix, they were just children. Respectively the greatest dueler the American continent had ever seen and the genius witch who was an unheard of two years ahead in school, they were still only children and impetuous ones at that. Especially Ares, who quite lived up to his namesake God of War.

He had really tried to raise his son properly, but something about the boy just hadn't been wired properly. Both Felix and his wife were mellow, generally kind and intelligent people, so why their son was so antisocial was beyond them. He was admittedly a brilliant man, and the intelligent often had problems with those who were not quite so intelligent, but he was nowhere near Jess's level of insane brilliance. He just didn't like people. Except his parents and Jess, of course.

Jess had worked wonders on the young man. He'd met her two years ago, when she'd insisted on visiting Felix to discuss the finer points of Arithmancy. She could have taken her OWLs then and there and passed every one of them, but she wasn't interested in tests or grades. She wanted knowledge, and continually read and discussed things with both Felix and Ares. At the time, Ares had noticed her brilliant mind and had grudgingly engaged in a few conversations with her.

By the next summer, he was totally crazy about her, though they had waited to embark on their strange little relationship until around the time of her fourteenth birthday. Ares may not have cared what the rest of the world thought about the fact that he was madly in love with a girl thirteen years younger than him, but he wasn't an idiot and he didn't really want to go to prison.

Felix couldn't help but smile at the thought of their relationship. He himself was seven years older than his squib wife, though she had been sixteen when he began courting her. Just thinking about his wife made him stupid-happy. He had been crazy about her from the moment he saw her, and he would do anything for her to be happy. Including putting up with her insane parents, both of who still wanted to kill him, even to this day.

Shuddering, he made his way upstairs. His in-laws terrified him more than any Dark Wizard in the history of magic. But, she was worth it. Maybe she would be changing for bed and he could catch her naked. He smirked at the thought, finding it silly that after twenty-eight years of marriage she was still shy about nudity.

* * *

Meditation turned out to be a lot harder than Hermione thought it was going to be. While she could fairly easily sit still and control her breathing, she could not completely focus her mind. She felt the faint stirrings of her magic, pooled behind her navel and coursing through the rest of her body, but she could not control it in any way. She was also easily distracted. Yuuichirou came in at one point to tell Rei he'd finished with the wood, and Hermione's eyes snapped open immediately and she'd had to start all over again.

She was also unable to drive the events of the past week from her mind. She could push the attack to the back of her mind, and feel almost safe again for a brief time. But the memories would come surging back with frightening clarity, threatening to bring tears to her eyes. She managed to keep from bursting into a sobbing wreck, which was a positive, but all the self-reflection was emotionally draining. She was silently thankful when Rei told her it was time to quit, though admittedly she did feel more in touch with her magic than she ever had before.

"You really are doing very well," Rei complimented her as she led the girl back into the sitting room. "Most Muggleborns have an especially hard time because they do not become aware of their magic until they go to school. Their only experiences actively using magic are with wands. Pureblood children may not have wands, but they are at least aware that what they are doing is magic and not some freak accident. They are better able to understand what it is within them that helps them perform spells. Of course, in the end there are very few that can do wandless magic at all. You're picking it up very quickly."

"It's just so hard to concentrate..." Hermione admitted dejectedly. She sank onto the sofa and sighed. Rei sat down next to her and took her hand.

"Honey, considering everything you've been through, you've shown a considerable amount of discipline and courage. Usagi was a sobbing wreck for weeks. I don't really know if you being so calm about it is for the best or not, but I'm quite impressed." Hermione shrugged noncommittally and Rei patted her hand. "Anyway, we're having a meeting here over lunch, and Makoto is bringing the food. She's a fantastic cook, you'll love it."

"An Order meeting?" Hermione asked, surprised that she would be allowed to participate. Before, she had been considered too young, the information too dangerous.

"Yes. Helios is in town to give a report, not just to fawn all over Chibi-Usa. We're going to be discussing the strategy for certain members here in Japan to return to England. There are a number of complications to take into account, mostly involving you and Chibi-Usa and Hotaru. We also have to decide who stays in Japan to keep up operations here. You've inadvertently become involved, and need to be kept in the loop."

Neither spoke for some time. Hermione sat hunched over, hands clasped between her knees and her bushy hair hiding her face from view. Rei glanced at her every minute or so, wishing there were something she could say to console the girl. Things were so different than they had been with Usagi, and Rei felt helpless.

She had been able to point out positives for Usagi, had convinced her that the unexpected pregnancy was a blessing. Usagi had been very vocal with her grief and had been able to move on as the bulge in her stomach had become increasingly noticeable. She had focused her energy on loving her girls, and Hotaru's dark hair had been even more of a blessing. There was no way the blond Lucius Malfoy could have sired a dark-haired child with the equally blond Usagi. There were still a few rules of genetics that applied to the Wizarding world, Chibi-Usa's pink hair aside.

Fortunately or unfortunately depending on how one looked at it, Hermione had received treatment immediately and was not pregnant. She was left with no family, and had been injured in one of the most despicable ways possible. And Rei really didn't know how she was feeling, other than the generic 'bad.' Usagi had told Rei everything she felt, had openly cried on her shoulder more times than she could count, but Hermione just sat there quietly, thinking.

Finally, the awkward silence was broken by the arrival of the first guests. Hermione recognized Setsuna Meioh, the owner of the clothing boutique Usagi and Minako had taken her to the day before, but the other two she did not recognize. One was the most beautiful woman she'd ever seen, even prettier than Fleur Delacour who was part-Veela. Her longish aquamarine hair seemed perfectly natural, and as a witch, Hermione knew better than to suspect a dye-job. Her blue eyes gazed kindly around the room, and her yellow kimono offset her skin-tone nicely. Very few people looked that good in yellow.

The other had short, sandy-blond hair and deep blue eyes, one of which was winked in Hermione's direction in a playful manner. Hermione had thought at first that it was a man, especially after the wink, but at second glance it appeared that the blond was indeed female. She wore a dark blue kimono and gray hakama, though at the time, Hermione did not know the proper name for the garment.

Rei introduced them as Michiru Kaioh and Haruka Tenoh, and the boyish one felt it necessary to kiss her hand and call her "cutie." Seeing that the girl was uncomfortable, Michiru smacked Haruka's shoulder and told her to "leave the poor girl alone." As they bickered, more guests joined the group. Minako arrived with a brunette in tow, both chatting animatedly about some "gorgeous" male and wearing Quidditch practice robes. The brunette turned out to be the Makoto Rei had spoken of earlier, and she had indeed brought a scrumptious looking lunch.

The next couple to enter did so with much less fanfare. The man Hermione did not recognize, but the woman was a personal hero. Ami Mizuno frequently had theories and articles published in the magazine _Ars Alchemia_, and had written two books on Arithmancy. Hermione wanted to be Ami Mizuno when she grew up.

"This is Ami Mizuno and Ryo Uwara," Rei said in introduction, and Hermione hardly listened.

"I got a perfect score on my Arithmancy OWL because of your books," she blurted out, blushing. That wasn't entirely true, but Hermione liked to convince herself it was. In truth, the only OWLs she had not received perfect scores on were Astronomy and Defense against the Dark Arts, though she had still easily managed to obtain Outstandings on both. Ami stared at her, stunned.

"You understood those books? How old are you?"

"Fifteen..."

"Fantastic," Ami said, suddenly excited. "Though, if you were intelligent enough to understand the books, you certainly would have gotten a perfect score without them. They're beyond NEWT level, really."

She seemed prepared to explain further, and would probably have spent the next five hours or so in intense discussion with the younger girl on various theories, but Minako interjected. "No more of your nerdy Arithmancy talk," she insisted. "Tell us about that ring on your finger." The blond smiled wickedly, and both Ami and Ryo blushed.

Ryo chuckled nervously. "We were going to wait until everyone was here before we announced it. We're getting married."

There was a general cheer and a very noticeable excited squeak from Usagi, who had just entered with her daughters, Helios, and an extremely handsome dark haired man by the name of Mamoru Chiba, and who immediately tackled the blue-haired woman. The next ten minutes were full of hugs and chatter, everyone offering the two congratulations and saying that it was damn well about time. Hermione found herself caught up in the good cheer and for those ten or so minutes she didn't think about what had happened to her once. She was genuinely happy that her hero was so happy, and that she was allowed to be apart of the joy.

However, it was a business meeting, and they could not spend the entire time discussing Ami's upcoming nuptials. Makoto unpacked the lunch she had prepared, and as Rei had said, it was delicious. Hermione wasn't really sure what some of it was, but it all tasted good and she didn't ask questions. Throughout the meal, Helios and Usagi explained the discovery of the nijizuishou, much to everyone else's delight. After the meal, things got more serious.

"Alright, we need to discuss our plan of action for the next six months or so," Rei said, taking charge. "Some of us will need to go to England, and some of us will need to stay in Japan. All of those going to England will need legitimate reasons for doing so. We also need to decide what to do about Hotaru and Chibi-Usa."

"Well, I'll be going to teach Defense against the Dark Arts for sure, and you can always use the excuse of wanting to see your family again," Usagi said, directing her comments to Rei. "Ryo will be taking over the Divination job, and bringing his fiancée along won't be suspicious." She winked at Ami.

"Wait, Divination? What about Professor Trelawney?" Hermione asked. In truth, if the woman were really leaving, she wouldn't mind a bit. The woman was the biggest fraud since Gilderoy Lockheart.

"Yes. She refuses to work with the centaur, Firenze, so she retired. I think it will be fascinating to work with him. They don't usually like humans, so it'll be a rare opportunity," Ryo explained.

"Oh," Hermione said. That was fine with her. If this guy was going to marry Ami Mizuno, he must be intelligent to some degree, and he seemed like a nice man. She would still not be taking Divination, but Trelawney being gone from Hogwarts was a definite plus.

"I think it would be wise for myself, Haruka and Michiru to go as well. We are completely unknown in England and will not raise suspicion. I can open a new boutique in London," Setsuna suggested. Haruka and Michiru nodded.

"We'll find something. Michiru can return to performing, start touring Europe by the end of summer and end in England by early winter. We'll like the place and get a flat in London, help Setsuna with her real work."

At Haruka's suggestion, Michiru blushed. "I haven't performed except in small recitals for years," she stammered. "I'll hardly be good enough." Everyone in the room glared at her except Hermione, who didn't really know what was going on.

"Anyway, Minako and I will have to stay here for Quidditch. We can hold down the fort," Makoto said enthusiastically.

"Well, I guess that was settled easily enough," Rei said with a grin. "I just wish I didn't have to leave Yuuichirou to take care of the shrine. He'll make a sure mess of the place, but someone has to be here who knows how to run everything."

"Now we need to figure out what to do with Chibi-Usa and Hotaru," Usagi said.

"What exactly do you mean?" Hermione asked. "Wouldn't they just go with you to England and go to Hogwarts?" She had assumed from the beginning that this would be the case. They knew English, and Usagi was insisting they use it so that they would be prepared for going to England.

"If only it were that simple," Usagi said wistfully. "If...people see that they are twins, they will know immediately who their father is." Hermione was still confused.

"I know they're twins, and I don't know who their father is..."

"You haven't told her!" Rei shouted, sounding rather upset. "Usagi..."

Usagi blushed. "She's been through so much. I didn't want to terrify her unnecessarily..."

"My brother is NOT terrifying!" Rei retorted angrily. She stood, and Hermione was almost afraid she was going to whack Usagi in the head. However, a familiar voice from the doorway interrupted the whole scene.

"While I am glad to know you still stick up for me, I believe most of my students would disagree with you on that."

As Hermione turned and saw the speaker, all the missing pieces fell into place.

* * *

Cliffie...my second ever. Though, I assume you are all clever enough to figure it out. At least, I hope so. It seems terribly obvious. Anyway, on to reviews!

Hoshiko Megami-Yeah, Michael is an idiot in an obnoxiously loveably sort of way. Thank you for your review.

TheMello-Overall, I really liked the sixth book. It was really intense, though I didn't like all the making out or the end. I can't really explain, because I don't want to spoil stuff for people, but the end was bad news, and I think JKR's just going to cop out in the next book. Which sucks, but isn't surprising. As for physically being able to live on an hours sleep...probably not, but she's a witch, and it's only been for the past year-ish. Anyway, thanks for the review.

Serenity Black-I've already made my decisions on all pairings in this story, and your comments will not change my mind. Not that dislike the pairing, but Sirius is kinda...dead. Just a bit dead. But, thanks for the review anyway. It's good to know you at least read the story, instead of just saying "great, update more."

Airlady-Thanks. I was a bit worried that Hermione wasn't being very emotional, but all people react to rape differently. As for Lucius, I don't think there's any sort of symbolic reason behind rape. It's just terribly humiliating and cruel. And, the Death Eaters would have killed Hermione, had Draco not saved her. And, Lucius is really just evil. Thanks for the review.

lily ponds-Yeah, background is an important part in understanding character motivations and plot. Leaving it out is a big mistake, and I'm glad you're enjoying my story so far. Mamoru will be in the story some, but he isn't a major character. Personally, I think he's adorable and I don't know why so many people dislike him. He's a hottie, really, and a nice guy.

Everyone else, thanks for the reviews, but more depth would be greatly appreciated.

Now, OCs in this chapter

Felix Danell-Age 54, Arithmancy professor at Salem Academy. He's a loveable family man, adores his wife and son.

Ares Danell-Age 27, incredibly talented duelist. Antisocial, hates people except his parents and Jess. Intelligent, but not crazy smart like Jess.

Jess Flynn-Age 14, brilliant at everything. Also antisocial, hates people except her parents and Ares. Lives with her dad, but spends a lot of time at Danell home.

Gus LaRue-Age 82, leader of Salem's OotP. Not much else known.

Alright, first of all, I'd like to say this to all the young ladies in the audience. If you are fourteen-ish, and a twenty-seven year old man shows an interest in you, run the fuck away. I am absolutely NOT condoning such relationships. This is just a story. In real life, said twenty-seven year old man just wants in said girl's pants. Which is rape.

Now, I'm a little worried about my character Jess. She more than any other character might become Mary-Sue like, in that she's a teenager and she's ridiculously smart. Please warn me if she gets out of hand.

I think that's all, folks!


	6. Chapter 5

I have, up until this point, been assuming that Hermione was the youngest of the 'Golden Trio.' According to JKR, I would be wrong. So, anything previously mentioning Hermione's age is wrong. She is sixteen, and will turn seventeen on September 19. At one point, Chibi-Usa called her 'little sister.' Make that 'big sister.' For everyone else, I think I've got it right. Sorry if anyone was confused or is upset with me.

**Chapter Five**

It could be compared to a gigantic puzzle or to an impressionistic painting. Each individual piece was insignificant, could be blown off as coincidence. But once you stepped back and took in the picture as a whole, it was undeniable. All the parts had been there, they just needed to be arranged properly. And the image they produced was startlingly clear.

It had been there the first day she met Usagi, written on every inch of his face when she'd told him she had daughters. It had been there every time Usagi mentioned him, even in passing, her voice always emotional in a way Hermione hadn't understood. It was there in Hotaru and Rei, their resemblance more than just that of two Asian women in the eyes of a European.

Individually, each of these could have their own perfectly harmless explanation. He could have just been upset that she had unleashed her spawn on the rest of the world. The two were unlike enough that it was possible he disliked her that greatly. She could have felt any range of emotions toward him as she spoke about him—anger, pain, or sympathy. Rei and Hotaru could really have just looked alike by coincidence. But, all of these things put together, along with a few other key pieces of information pointed to only one solution.

Severus Snape had two teenaged daughters he'd never seen before.

He stood there with a perfectly calm look on his face, arms crossed over his chest in a stance Hermione had seen quite often. He did not look particularly happy about the situation, but he wasn't shouting or doing any of the horrible things that made him the "greasy git" to all his students. He was just standing there, staring intently at Usagi, who was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with each passing second.

"Severus," she chuckled nervously. "Wh...what are you doing in Japan?"

"I just thought I'd...check up on the family," he replied. He was smiling in a horribly evil way.

That smile could only mean one thing. Usagi was (figuratively of course as Snape was not known to frequently kill Order members) about to kick the proverbial bucket in a most unpleasant manner. Hermione prepared herself for the blond woman's inevitable demise, and was pretty sure Usagi was doing the same. She was wringing her hands and trembling, looking terribly uneasy.

The entire group sat completely still for two full minutes, just waiting for someone to explode. Whether it would be into a rage or into tears or a literal explosion, no one was quite sure, but it was bound to be pretty in the way car wrecks are pretty. Hermione couldn't help but think of a book in the tense situation, and, as per typical Hermione, it was a book of deep philosophy, controversy and esotericism. Joseph Conrad called it "the fascination of the abomination." When everything exploded, people couldn't help but watch, fascinated by the terrible image.

As it turned out, things did not explode. Minako was the first to crack. "Well, this is a family issue, so we'll leave the family to work it out. Come on, Ami, we've got a wedding to shop for!" Her enthusiasm was sickening, but she managed to drag Makoto, Ami and Ryo out of the temple without any casualties. Setsuna, Haruka and Michiru followed suit leaving only the 'family,' Helios, Mamoru and Hermione who wasn't sure if she counted as family or not.

"Well, don't just stand in the door all day," Rei said. He complied, and before he'd taken three steps, she leapt up and threw her arms around his neck. "I missed you."

"I missed you as well," he replied, returning her embrace. In that moment, Hermione vowed never to let the Potions master intimidate her ever again. He was most emphatically a human being. He had a sister whom he cared about enough to hug her in front of other people, and he had children. Of course, she was intelligent enough to realize that flaunting her newfound lack of fear directly at him would have dire consequences, as he, even as a human, was still extremely powerful.

"Oi. Who is this guy, and should I be jealous?" Yuuichirou, Rei's husband, stood in the doorway, a confused look in his half-hidden eyes. Rei beamed at him.

"Yuuichirou, this is my brother."

"Oh." His face brightened immediately. He grinned and bowed. "Snape, right? Severus...Snape. I'm Yuuichirou."

Snape did not return the bow, but did give him the courtesy of a nod. "You work here?" he asked, nodding at Yuuichirou's temple garments and sounding condescending. Rei smacked his arm.

"Severus, this is my _husband_." Snape stared, looking bewildered.

"You're far too young to be married," he insisted, turning to look at his sister. She glared at him.

"How old are you?" She gave him a moment to think about it. "I'm three years younger, remember? Thirty-three? And I've known Yuuichirou since before I moved to England. Sit down before you fall over." She took his arm and led him to a chair. However, by the time he'd seated himself, he had regained his composure and was glaring at Yuuichirou as he often glared at misbehaving students.

"I'm just...going to go do some cleaning," Yuuichirou said, nervous under such intense scrutiny. "It was nice to meet you." He bowed again and scampered. Rei huffed and sank onto the sofa next to a very dazed Hermione.

"I know, I know. He's an idiot, you don't even have to say it." Snape smirked, but did not comment.

"I'm glad you showed up," Usagi said softly. "It'll be less awkward for you to meet the girls here, instead of at an Order meeting or even at Hogwarts on the first day of school. We still don't know when we're going back."

Snape finally took the time to look at his daughters. They sat next to each other on the couch, along with Helios, and had been staring at him since he arrived. Hotaru blushed at the attention and tried to disappear into the upholstery, but Chibi-Usa was sitting on her hands, her eyes large, twitching slightly in uncontainable excitement. Finally, she couldn't control herself, and leapt up, perching herself on the edge of his chair and wrapping her arms around his neck.

He looked stunned, unsure of how to react, and Hermione couldn't help but wonder when the last time he showed affection had been. He spent all of his time being a grouchy teacher or a Death Eater spy, and hardly seemed to have time for family or a social life. Slowly he reached a hand up to pat her hair, setting the other on her back. When she was satisfied that it was indeed him and that he was accepting her, she released her grip and smiled brightly at him. Hotaru stood and approached him timidly. They hugged, awkwardly as well, and then Chibi-Usa and Hotaru sat back down on the couch.

"I know you all want to talk about personal stuff, but before we get too distracted, we should figure out what to do with Hotaru and Chibi-Usa once we go to England. It would probably be for the best if people didn't know they were twins. Can't risk your job and all." Rei said. The last bit was addressed at Snape, and Hermione realized that it could apply to both his teaching position and his position as a spy. After all, if Harry and Ron knew the 'evil git' had two daughters, they'd probably curl up in the fetal position and weep. And, the Dark Lord would probably be upset that he hadn't been informed of the girls earlier.

"We can make use of our resemblance," Hotaru addressed Rei softly, and blushed as attention was focused on her. "I could play your daughter. It's really the only feasible way, since I look more like your father's side of the family. Otherwise, I could be a cousin or something."

"I guess that would work, if you can keep up the charade. I know you've done it before, but this could very well last for years," Rei pointed out.

"Chibi-Usa and I will play best friends since childhood. It isn't uncommon for best friends to feel like sisters, and treat each other's mothers accordingly. I doubt anyone will bother to look past our resemblance anyway," Hotaru replied.

"Shallow, and yet true," Snape sneered.

"What about me?" Chibi-Usa whined.

As the attention was focused on her, a plan began to form itself in bits and pieces in various minds throughout the room. Hermione sat back, staring in awe at the "family" before her. The three dark-haired, Slytherin-esque individuals developed most of the plan, though Usagi and Chibi-Usa occasionally threw in a comment. The end result was pure brilliance, something that could only be thought up with the combination of Slytherin cunning and Gryffindor boldness.

From then on, the meeting digressed into a self-blaming match between Usagi and Snape. Everyone else in the room quickly realized it and found excuses to leave. Chibi-Usa and Helios went to catch a movie, and Rei went with Mamoru to find Yuuichirou. Hotaru took Hermione by the hand and led her out of the temple.

"That was very awkward," Hotaru stated. "Would you like to see the public library?"

Hermione's eyes brightened significantly, and she nodded fiercely. Of all places available to her at the moment, the library would be the best for putting everything else in the back of her mind. As far back in her mind as was humanly possible, if she had any say in it.

* * *

Augustus "Gus" LaRue hated having meetings on the weekends. He was, without fail, hung over every Saturday, and depending on how hung over he remained, was likely to go out and get drunk again, resulting in an even worse hang over on Sunday. Knowing he had to call a meeting on Saturday, he had curbed his drinking the night before, but it hadn't helped much. He had a splitting headache and had spent most of the morning hunched over the toilet.

The situation was further aggravated by the presence of the San Francisco team. The two North American teams tried to have as little contact with each other as possible, but with things coalescing quickly, they had no choice but to join forces. He especially found it hard to get along with Deborah Bauer, the leader of the other team. Honestly, if she weren't such a frigid bitch, he might get along with her better, but as it were, she hated almost everything male, and had no problem voicing her opinions.

Her brother Michael, on the other hand, was all right. With a little alcohol in his bloodstream, the kid knew how to have fun. Anthony, the nerd, was usually antisocial and not worth mentioning, as far as Gus was concerned.

His team was doing its best to ignore the three Californians. Ares and Jess were engrossed in a game of chess, quite content to shut out the rest of the universe. Felix was discussing some Arithmantic theory with Alma, whose faded blue eyes were twinkling in that obnoxious manner so common in her family. She was munching on some obscure candy, which also seemed to run in the family.

Gus had only met her older cousin, Albus Dumbledore, twice, but the resemblance was obvious. Alma had nowhere near the magical ability of her cousin, but she was effective as a leader and, with her position as Headmistress of Salem Academy, was able to keep an eye out for promising young talent. She had been the one to recruit Jess Flynn, and the Danell family would not have even known about the Order of the Phoenix without her.

The only other people at the meeting were Petz and Calaveras, who were mildly annoyed at the dissent between the two groups.

"Oi!" Petz shouted. "Let's get this over with, already." Everyone turned to look at her except Ares and Jess, who cared more about their chess game. "First of all, they found another nijizuishou in South America. There are three left, so the search will continue. Now, Albus has made it clear that he wants to start gathering in England. We need to discuss who will be going and who will be staying."

Calaveras took over. "It's already been decided that Ares and Jess will go to England. Jess will begin her sixth year at Hogwarts, and Ares will teach a new dueling course. Obviously, Alma and Felix need to remain for their teaching duties. That leaves Gus, Michael, Deborah and Anthony. At least one of you needs to stay in San Francisco for logistical purposes."

"I'll stay," Anthony volunteered. He had no desire to leave his computer equipment for Wizarding Britain. In Europe, the Wizarding world liked to stay separate from the Muggle one, including banning most of the technology that made Muggle life so much fun.

Michael promptly offered to stay with him, secretly hoping his sister would leave and go to England. He loved her and all, but it was so much easier to party without her around. She, on the other hand, knew exactly what he was planning, and stated that she would not leave those to "idiotic boys" to run things by themselves. Gus LaRue decided he might as well go to England. He was technically retired, and he could booze and womanize just as good in England as he could in the States.

"Fantastic," Petz said, once the decisions had been made. "I suggest you leave some time in August, so you can get settled. Jess will receive a letter from Hogwarts soon detailing the supplies she'll need. Now, unless any of you have any information you need relayed to another part of the world, I think this meeting is over."

Nobody wanted to remain in the meeting any longer than necessary, so once Petz and Calaveras left, they went their separate ways. Jess and Ares were the only two who did not immediately pick up and leave. As the others bustled about and scampered, they continued with their chess game. Felix Danell chose to stay until they finished, feeling proudly like a responsible adult making sure his son didn't "prey on" his star pupil.

In truth, the "caution" was unnecessary. Even given the opportunity, Ares wouldn't do anything illegal. The two played for nearly another hour before they finished their game. Occasionally they talked, but they were too busy strategizing to be reasonable conversation, and Felix silently urged Jess to hurry up and whip Ares. She did, soundly, and finally the trio left, chatting amiably about Arithmancy.

* * *

Once they had been left alone, Usagi and Snape stared at each other in silence for some time. Usagi was wringing her hands nervously, and Snape was glaring at her like a wayward student. There was so much to say, so much to apologize for, so many years to make up for, and neither really knew where to begin. Snape had the added bonus of terribly interpersonal skills. He found apologizing extremely difficult.

"I...perhaps I should have told you," Usagi started, finally breaking the ice. "But...I was so scared at first. I didn't know if they were yours until Hotaru started growing hair, and then I didn't know if you'd want kids, or if it was even safe for you to know."

She was rambling, and she knew it. But she couldn't stop. She had so much she wanted to explain, so many loose ends she wanted to tie up. She went on and on, told him everything that had happened from the time she was attacked to the time she realized Snape was the father. She tried to explain her reasoning for keeping the secret, but from the pained look on Snape's face, she wasn't sure she was doing a good job.

Finally, Snape seemed to tire of her ramblings. He grabbed her hands, and spoke. "Just stop. I understand why you did as you did. I would have encouraged you to do the same. I just...wish it didn't have to be like this."

He looked dejectedly at his hand holding hers. His were long, bony and tough from years of potion brewing. Hers were small and soft, and still trembling slightly. He ran a thumb over her knuckles and looked up at her. She was crying, though there was none of the loud sniffling he had been more than accustomed to when they were young. She was so different, and yet so similar, it was unnerving.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, pulling her hands away and trying to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"In the end, I am only glad to know you are safe and relatively happy," Snape replied. "They seem wonderful. I only wish I could claim them without there being any risks. It will be difficult to follow the plan, knowing what everyone is thinking and knowing how wrong they are."

Usagi nodded, staring down at her hands. They grew silent again for a moment, though it was less awkward than at first. Finally, Usagi gained some courage.

"Would you like to come over and have supper with us?" she asked. He smiled, if barely, at her.

"I'll need to return home briefly to take care of a few things, but I would enjoy that."

They stood, preparing to go their separate ways. They glanced at each other and Usagi blushed vibrantly. He took her hand and kissed it lightly, and she blushed even more. Then, without warning, he Apparated with a loud 'crack,' leaving her standing by herself in Rei's sitting room. She remained there alone for a moment, musing to herself, until finally she turned and left. She was having a guest over for dinner, and would need to get started now if she were going to be able to clean up the kitchen before he arrived.

* * *

So, I'm not completely satisfied with it, but I had someone else read it, and they thought it was fine. I then fixed a few things and, well, here it is. Let me know if you think anything is...not right.

Now, about this review business. You wanna know something that bugs me? When people mark a story as a favorite or get author alerts for it, and then NEVER review it. By marking something as a favorite or receiving author alerts, it implies that you enjoy a story. But the author doesn't know why. They don't know if certain aspects are awesome, or if there are some areas that need improvement. Twenty-two people have this story on author alert, and thirteen have it marked as a favorite. I realize that you may not have the time to read and review every chapter as it comes out. But some of you (and I know who you are) don't ever bother to review. I'm not going to name names, but know that I'm not happy with you. (However, if you review, I will be more happy.)

Now, on to reviewing the reviews!

Hoshiko Megami-Hopefully now you know who he is. Thanks for the review.

TheMello-Thank you, as always, for the wonderful review. I'm glad you think my story has maintained a certain level, and hopefully I will be able to keep it up.

Lily ponds-Mamoru is a member of the Japanese Order and a friend to Usagi. He will mostly be overprotective, but he won't play that huge of a role. Thanks for the review.

I laugh at you-Usagi and Snape's past will be explained as the story progresses. Hopefully I'll be able to make it believable with their unique personalities. Thanks for the review.

Tenshi no Nozomi-Thanks for the review. Hermione will be getting back to her normal self slowly, but things are a bit overwhelming for her at the moment. She'll get over it, though.

Okay, I'm sorry this took so long to get out, but honestly, I just started college. I've been a little busy. Just a bit. Also, my other story Vendetta (which, in my opinion is of far superior quality to this fic) received SEVENTEEN reviews in one chapter. I felt obligated to spend more time on it. :hint hint:

I always get yelled at when I beg for reviews. But honestly, unless you guys keep it up, I'll probably lose interest in this story, at least for awhile. It'll come back eventually, but the less you review, the more likely I'll be to focus on other things.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

While Hermione felt terribly awkward during supper that evening, the other four people at the table didn't seem the least bit uncomfortable. The food was delicious, so she busied herself with eating and speaking only when asked a question. Those questions were rare, though. Snape spent most of the meal asking Chibi-Usa and Hotaru about their schoolwork and OWL scores. Both were very bright, and Hotaru's scores were especially high, nearly rivaling Hermione's.

Usagi's scores, as it turned out, were not so impressive. She'd been nearly perfect in the practical application of charms, transfiguration and the like, but did abysmally in the written portions. She'd scored Es in DADA, Astronomy and Charms, As in Transfiguration, Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures and Divination, and down from there. She'd gotten a D on her Potions OWL, even with Snape tutoring her.

Talk of OWL scores led to rather humorous anecdotes from the days Snape and Usagi spent at school together. As much as Hermione wanted to know about their past, she felt like an intruder, and quickly finished her food. She excused herself quietly with an excuse about an Arithmancy essay and retreated to her room.

She picked up one of her books and sat back on her bed to get in some reading. She'd already finished all of her summer assignments, but would never turn down a good book. The text was engrossing, and before she realized it, two hours had passed. She would not have even looked up at the clock, except her door cracked open, catching her attention.

A small, grayish cat, somewhere between kitten and full grown, had pushed the door open and sauntered in. Letting out a small meow, it hopped up onto the bed and started rubbing against her leg. She scratched its head absentmindedly and returned to reading. The cat flopped over, laying against her leg, swishing its tail and purring.

At some point, Hermione shifted enough that she was squashing the cat's tail.

"Itai!" the cat shouted, attempting to liberate its tail.

Hermione blinked for a second and then let out a shriek. While the word was Japanese, the cat had most definitely just spoken. She rolled off the bed, grabbed her wand and pointed it at the fluff ball. Said fluff ball was currently licking her injured tail, completely ignoring Hermione.

The others appeared to have heard her shriek and seconds later her door opened fully. Snape stood there, wand drawn.

"What happened?" he demanded. All he could see was Hermione pointing her wand at a cat.

"It talked," she said, indicating to the cat. "It was Japanese, but it definitely talked."

Usagi poked her head around Snape and let out a disgruntled snort. "Diana," she scolded. The cat, upon hearing her name, finally looked up from her tail. "You two can put your wands down, she's harmless."

Snape and Hermione did so reluctantly. Usagi brushed past Snape and approached the bed. She smacked the cat lightly on the head.

"I told you to keep quiet until I told Hermione about you and your parents."

"But she squished my tail!" the cat whined. Usagi rolled her eyes and then glared. The cat cowered, and turned to Hermione. "I'm sorry I scared you."

"Um...I'm sorry...I squished your tail..."

Hermione wasn't quite sure how to react. Not only could the cat talk, but she also appeared to be bilingual. Usagi wasn't the least bit surprised by the fact. From what Hermione could gather, the cat's parents could speak as well. Had Hermione not been a witch, she would have protested, claimed insanity. But, given everything she'd seen, and done, in the past five years, she decided a talking cat couldn't possibly be that strange.

"I'm sorry, Hermione. I should have told you earlier," Usagi said. "Diana and her parents, Luna and Artemis, are a species called Mau. They're like Animagi, only their cat form is their normal state. Show them, Diana."

And, suddenly, sitting on the bed was a teenage girl. She had the same colored hair as the cat's fur, tied up in twin buns, and wore a dress of the same hue. She stood up, giggling happily, and hugged Hermione. Then, she turned back into a cat, hopped back onto the bed, and curled up to take a nap.

Usagi took Hermione by the arm and dragged her from the room. She informed the girl that she spent far too much time reading books and, as the newest addition to the family, needed to quit being so shy. Hermione blushed slightly, but joined them in the living room without protest. She even made an effort to join in the conversation on occasion, and was treated to one of Usagi's brilliant smiles for her participation.

* * *

The days after learning what had happened to Hermione were tense at Twelve Grimmauld Place. Nearly everyone in the Order knew Hermione and liked her, and at the very least everyone felt deep sympathy. Certain residents were more upset, most especially Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, her best friends. Both were on edge, snapping at others with little to no provocation.

Currently, they sat in the parlor, deeply engrossed in a game of Wizard's Chess. They were trying to keep their mind off things, knowing their lashing out hurt their friends and family. They'd already finished their schoolwork, and had little else with which to occupy their time. Harry was getting very good at the game, though Ron beat him four times out of five.

The two were so involved with their game that they hardly noticed when a stranger entered the room, moving softly to them to oversee the game. Harry issued an order for a piece to move, and the stranger interrupted.

"If you do that, he can take you in two turns."

The voice was light, feminine, a bit condescending and slightly accented. The two boys looked up, startled at the interruption. The woman standing there was rather short, her icy blue hair held back in a braid and her blue eyes looking critically at the board. She was clad in blue robes, fashionable among young, pureblood witches, and seemed to take great care in her appearance. She was perhaps closer to Ron's brother Bill in age, but still looked youthful and attractive.

"I'd move the knight, instead," she suggested. Harry looked at the board for a moment, and, when he realized the plan she must have formed, grinned. He instructed the knight to move as per her advice, and Ron frowned.

"Why're you helping him?" he pouted. "And who are you?"

She smiled lightly. "My name is Beruche Ayakashi. Forgive me for interrupting your game. I was waiting for Albus, but he's out on business for a few hours. I couldn't resist a chess game."

She settled elegantly into another chair and contented herself to watching the game silently. After her bit of advice, Harry took the game in four more moves, leaving Ron miffed.

"Might I play a round?" Beruche asked. Harry offered his spot, knowing his victory was cheap at best. Ron was truly a better player, and he'd like to see the redhead compete against a worthy opponent.

And, Beruche was quite the opponent. Her style was aggressive, and her mind sharp. Ron took more time between moves than he usually did when playing against Harry, recognizing quickly that any rash move could be his downfall. The match ended in a very close victory for the blue-haired stranger.

"You're very good," Ron complimented. He was too in awe of her skill to really be angry at losing two games in a row. Beruche blushed prettily.

"Thank you," she said happily. "You're quite good yourself, especially at your age. I wouldn't mind playing you again, sometime. Unfortunately now, I have a report to make."

She stood, a smile gracing her lips, and left the room as quietly and elegantly as she had entered it. Ron and Harry were left staring, wondering just who the woman was and what role she played in the Order. She must be trustworthy, since she was able to enter Twelve Grimmauld place, but neither of them had seen her or heard of her before.

* * *

Beruche settled in a comfy chair across from Albus Dumbledore, glancing quickly around the room. She had never been to Order headquarters before, and took the opportunity to familiarize herself with as much as possible. The den had been warded from prying ears so that she could give her report to Dumbledore without worry. While everyone in the Order was trustworthy, they were not all immune to Occulmency or Veritaserum. He would rather Voldemort not know about the foreign branches of the Order yet.

"You have things to report?" he said, getting straight down to business. Unfortunately, the demands of the situation allowed for very little pleasantries.

"The Bogota team found a nijizuishou in Mexico. It has been delivered safely to Usagi via Helios. In addition, all branches have been notified of the gathering, and when they are to come to England."

"Good. When will we see the Japanese team?"

"Rei is bringing Hotaru in a matter of days. They will play mother-daughter for the time being. Usagi will bring Chibi-Usa and Hermione later in the month. They are planning a debut of sorts for Chibi-Usa, and the rest of the team will come under the guise of guests. Minako and Makoto have opted to stay and run things in Japan."

In the next half-hour, Beruche elaborated on the plan the Usagi and her family had created, and Dumbledore couldn't help but chuckle at the cunning employed by Severus Snape and his little sister, Rei. Assuming they played their cards right, Lucius Malfoy could very well be arrested by the end of Chibi-Usa's debut.

The blond Death Eater had done an eerily impressive job of wheedling out of punishment after the Department of Mysteries debacle. Dumbledore suspected more than a few Ministry employees found themselves a good bit more wealthy, too. Lucius Malfoy had far too much money, and nothing to do with it save bribe people to let him do horrible things. Amazing how a few galleons could let one get away with trying to kill children.

Beruche also gave brief reports about how the Africa and North America teams were faring. Despite the bitter rivalry between the San Francisco and Salem branches in North America, they managed to accomplish a great deal more than the Africa team. The Africa team suffered from understaffing and more language barriers than any other group. Two of the team members knew Arabic, and one knew a little Swahili, but other than that, they were trying to communicate with tribes through pantomime. They didn't trust translators, and had, so far, done nothing of real importance to the order.

Once the briefing was done, the blue-haired beauty rose from her chair and exited the den quietly. Albus Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his beard and thinking quietly. He was anxious to meet Chibi-Usa and Hotaru, as well as wanting to see their mother again. She had been a joy as a student, even if she had not been the greatest at her studies. It would be wonderful to see her again.

* * *

Nephrite cursed loudly. Then, he cursed loudly in Arabic, just to let the man he was speaking to know just how upset he was. Turning, he kicked a tree-trunk and then grumbled at the pain in his toe. Things were, most assuredly, not going well. It didn't help matters that his teammates were off doing other things that could not be construed as working.

Kunzite and Zoicite had found a secluded area to cuddle. They had not been able to be so affectionate lately, as the natives seemed to find homosexuality anywhere on a scale from strange to just plain wrong. So, they decided they needed to catch up whenever possible, even if it meant blowing off work.

Jadeite had also wandered off, and Nephrite had no idea where. They were supposed to be securing transport south through the Sahara, but were having little luck. His Arabic was shoddy, and Kunzite, who spoke it well, was indisposed. They would normally have just Apparated, but were trying to keep a low profile. Popping up in the middle of some African tribe was sure to raise a few eyebrows.

They were to meet with a contact in Niamey, Niger in less than a week, and did not have the time to go around the coast. Unfortunately, people disliked traveling through the Sahara, and for good reason. There were no roads or signposts, no water or hotels. All necessities had to be carried with you, and if anything happened to you, there was no one to help.

Nephrite had managed to procure the necessary food, water and other supplies for the journey, but they were still in need of a guide and camels. Camels were relatively easy to purchase if you knew where to look, but finding a guide was proving tricky. Most of these people had the sense not to go travelling across the desert, and sent him strange looks when he started asking questions.

"Oi, Nephrite!"

Jadeite's voice was familiarly irritating, and Nephrite turned, glaring. "What?" he demanded.

"I found a guide, and camels. Seventy-five thousand dinars total."

The blond smirked at the shocked look on Nephrite's face. The dark-haired man turned and dismissed the man he'd been talking to in terse Arabic and then faced at Jadeite.

"Can he leave tonight?"

"Yep. He's heading to Niamey himself to visit some family or something. He seems like a nice guy, and his camels look good. Where are Kunzite and Zoicite?"

Nephrite rolled his eyes. "Who knows. Damn poofters, probably off getting us in trouble with the locals. Anyway, show me these camels."

After deeming the camels acceptable, and chatting for a moment with the prospective guide, Nephrite let out a sigh of relief. The man had traveled many times between Algiers and Niamey, and was not likely to get them lost. He also spoke broken English, throwing in the occasional French or Arabic when he couldn't recall the right word. He told hilarious jokes, as well, and the trip might prove entertaining. Well, as entertaining as it could be considering they would be traveling through the Sahara for a few days.

At some point, Kunzite and Zoicite made their appearance. They looked a little haggard, but had put themselves together well enough that others wouldn't notice unless they were truly looking for something out of place. For all the lovers probably wanted to cling to each other in their obsessively dramatic habit, they controlled themselves, standing apart and not touching. Nephrite gave thanks softly to whatever deity cared to listen.

Ninety-nine percent of the population of Algeria was Muslim, and the last thing they needed was some religious fanatic attempting to kill them for their 'sins.' Not to say some Christian fanatic would be any more or less tolerant, but less than one percent of Algerians practiced Christianity, so they were much easier to avoid.

Nephrite glared at them, making his displeasure known. But, to their credit, they immediately began loading the supplies onto the camels without complaint. Zoicite had a disgusted look on his face whenever he was forced to go near the camel, but said nothing. Nephrite silently started planning ways of forcing the other man to spend as much time around the disgusting animals as possible. The two had always been rivals, and neither would waste a chance to get back at the other for perceived slights.

With all four of them working to load everything, it took less than an hour. They ate a quick supper with their guide, laughing at the tales he told. They related their own stories, though often had to edit them so that they did not give away anything suspicious. Many of the locals were deeply superstitious, and the last thing the group needed to do was draw attention to themselves needlessly.

* * *

Snape returned to England in the early afternoon, feeling something akin to happiness. It had never really been his desire to start a family, especially after getting involved with the Death Eaters. However, finding that he had two daughters, nearly grown and both beautiful and intelligent, he decided it wasn't such a horrible thing. He didn't have to change nappies or get up in the middle of the night to soothe a bawling child.

He felt a little guilty that Usagi had been forced to raise the children herself, though. If he'd known, even if he was unable to be there physically, he could have sent money. All things considered, Usagi had done a fantastic job without his help. The girls didn't seem to want for anything, physically or emotionally.

He settled into a chair in his personal library, picking up the latest issue of Ars Alchemia. The cover article, an in depth analysis of the negative effects of love potions, did not interest him, but some of the smaller articles on memory potions and antidote development were most definitely worth his time.

Unfortunately, he did not have the opportunity to get more than a paragraph into the first article. His fireplace let out a whoosh, consistent with Floo activity, and Narcissa Malfoy's head came into view. She looked tired and stressed, a fact that was more than a bit worrisome. She always took pride in her appearance, and even when working on few hours' sleep or under desperate conditions, she always looked perfect.

"Severus, may I come through?" she asked. Her voice sounded pleading and Snape quirked an eyebrow.

"Of course."

With another whoosh, the blond woman stood in his library, brushing soot from her expensive robes. Her eyes seemed a little red and swollen, and she slouched a bit. Snape stood.

"Draco?" she asked immediately, and he knew exactly what was wrong. For all she may love Lucius, Draco was her only child, and having him torn away had to be painful.

"I believe he's upstairs studying. It isn't safe, Narcissa. You should return home before Lucius realizes you are gone."

"He's away on business. Please, I just...I need to speak to him."

She was preparing to cry again. He'd never really known how to act with a weeping woman, so he decided to just let her see the boy. He summoned a house elf to fetch Draco, and gently moved Narcissa into a chair. They didn't have to wait long.

Draco didn't bother to ask questions. He simply approached his mother, wrapping his arms around her. When they both started crying, Snape took that as his cue to leave.

It truly wasn't safe for Narcissa to be visiting, even if Lucius was away on business. If he found out she was still attempting to claim Draco as her own, she might very well find herself declared a traitor. Still, Snape couldn't deny them a few moments together. He would leave them be for now, and deal with the consequences later.

* * *

I hope you'll forgive me for the delay in the update, but, as I've said, this story only happens after things like life, school and my other story, Vendetta. I know quite a few people like this story a lot...I wish I could say the same. It's also discouraging to get three hundred plus hits and only eight reviews. They were pretty good reviews though, so thanks for that!

Tenshi no Nozomi-You're absolutely right about all the Snape/Usa fics in this section. Which depresses me, because I'm a huge Snape fan. But...as I think I've told you, I don't have this story sufficiently planned out and therefore hate it. As for the OCs, well, I assume they'll be more interesting once they start taking a more active role. Unfortunately, they need to have some sort of background, and that can get a little boring. It won't be too long, though! And, I love your long review. It made me happy. Assuming the review has content, it can never be too long.

Lily ponds-I love the Kushiel books to death! And, she's going to write a book about Imriel, which is freaking awesome. I'm so excited. Anyway, thanks for the review.

Thanks to everyone else, as well. For the most part, you had good reviews that actually pertained to the story! Yay for you!

Now, me and a few other well known authors have a fan fiction newsletter out. It will point out good stories and authors, will critique things that need critiquing, will help improve how you review, and will have editorials about writing in general. If you are interested in subscribing, send an e-mail to phedre44 yahoo . com and we will send you the first issue and put your name on the list. Thanks!

One final note. I will be uploading this chapter at the same time as a chapter of Vendetta. Please write your review in such a way that I can tell which story you are reviewing. If I get "cool, update more," I'll be a bit upset. The more in depth you go, the happier I am, and the more likely I am to keep writing this fic!


	8. Chapter 7

Constructive criticism, such as ilaughatyou gives, actually encourages me to write more, and at a higher quality. You can all thank her for the fact that I'm even updating. Also, follow her example. "Yay, update more" is not going to stimulate my mind in any way, and might just piss me off enough to work more on Vendetta. :hint hint:

A quick note: in this chapter, Rei refers to herself as a scion of Serenity's line. This will be explained later in the story, I promise. I just wanted to warn you before, so you don't think I'm totally insane.

**Chapter Seven**

"I think that's everything."

Rei stood in Usagi's living room, hands on hips, surveying the layout in front of her. She had packed her own things that morning, back at the shrine, and they currently sat in the middle of the floor next to Hotaru's. The dark-haired girl had a trunk full of clothing and more books than could possibly be necessary. They would be staying at the Snape family manor house, which had a huge library, until school. Then, she would have access to the Hogwarts library. Why she needed her own books was beyond Rei, but the older woman didn't argue.

Still, Rei couldn't really blame Hotaru. The girl was leaving her mother and a twin she had never been separated from for more than a couple of days to travel to a new country. Once there, she would pretend to have a different mother, a different age and birthday. She would not be allowed to acknowledge her father as her father. The only advantage she would have was her resemblance to Rei, which most people would not look past.

Hotaru was currently hugging her mother and sister, bidding them farewell. Usagi's eyes were watering. She knew that once Hotaru Flood to England, they could not acknowledge each other as mother and daughter, possibly for years. Hotaru and Chibi-Usa could claim to have grown up together, feeling as close as any sisters would, and no one would question. Chibi-Usa looked enough like Usagi, and Hotaru looked enough like Rei that no one would guess them real sisters.

Hermione sat in a chair, watching the family and feeling out of place. Rei turned to talk to her.

"I'll come back in a couple of days so that we can continue your training. Once you come to England, it'll make things easier. Until then, keep working on the meditation. It makes everything so much easier when you're in touch with the magic inside you."

Hermione nodded, smiling at Rei. The prospect of learning always seemed to cheer the girl up. Once she returned to England, saw her friends, Rei had a feeling she would return, more or less, to her normal, happy self.

"All right, Hotaru, time to go," Rei said.

With a few swishes of her wand, Rei shrank the trunks and tucked them into her robes. Hotaru reluctantly broke away from her mother and sister and moved to the fireplace.

"Bye," she whispered. Then, taking a handful of Floo powder, she called out "Snape Manor" and disappeared with a whoosh. Rei briefly hugged Usagi and then followed Hotaru through the Floo.

Rei was expecting her brother to be waiting at the other end of the Floo, but, much to her surprise, Albus Dumbledore stood there instead. He appeared to have been pacing, a worried expression on his wrinkled face. Still, he put on a smile, holding out his hands to embrace her.

"How very long it has been," he said, holding her at arms' length to scrutinize her. "I only wish we had time for pleasantries. You may leave your things here, and the house elves will see that they are taken care of. For now, I must insist that we go directly to headquarters. There has been a...development since we were last in contact with you. Severus has been forced to go out on business, and I don't want you staying here until he has returned."

"What happened?" Rei asked.

"I will explain everything at headquarters. Here." He thrust a piece of paper into her hands. He gave another to Hotaru, who was staring at him in awe. "Portkeys, set to go in about two minutes. Written on them is the location of headquarters. You will be dropped off in a safe location a block or so away. It is imperative that no one outside see you enter the house."

Rei nodded, and in a moment she and Hotaru disappeared. They turned up in a wood some ways off the road. Casting a quick glance around, Rei took Hotaru by the hand and crept to the edge of the trees. The few houses in sight were completely dark, and no one was present on the street. Deciding all was safe, the two left the shelter of the wood and hurried quickly down the street to number twelve.

As they approached the imposing old house, Rei looked around once more, and then rang the bell. A moment later the door opened, and their ears were assailed by a terrible clamor. Nymphadora Tonks stood in the doorway, scowling.

"Don't ring the bell," she hissed before ushering them inside.

Rei immediately realized that the clamor arose from the portrait in the foyer. Mrs. Black was shouting something about blood-traitors and mudbloods. Rei bristled at the comments.

"You will cease immediately, madam," she said threateningly. "I'll have you know my father was patriarch of the Snape family and my mother a scion of Serenity's line. I can trace my bloodline back to before the founding of Hogwarts, and am very insulted by your comments."

Amazingly, the portrait quieted down almost immediately. She sneered at Hotaru, however. "And her? Bet her father's a Muggle."

"Not at all. He's a Japanese Wizard, Yuuichirou Kumada. Terribly wealthy. Now, madam, I bid you good day."

Rei made a polite curtsy and brushed down the hall, past a stunned Tonks. Hotaru bowed to the portrait, nodded slightly at Tonks and then hurried after her aunt/mother. Rei stopped abruptly halfway down the corridor, poking her head into a room.

"The library," she announced. "Why don't you go read something. I need to find someone responsible to tell me what's going on."

Hotaru nodded and went into the library. It was a bit dark, but then, the whole house seemed dark, so she wasn't surprised. The room was also occupied, which did surprise her. Three teens, about her own age, sat in various places, working on essays or reading. She was about to turn and find a different room to settle in, but one of the boys looked up and saw her.

"Who're you?" he asked. He had bright red hair, and was very tall. She blushed and moved farther into the room.

"My name is Hotaru. Hotaru Hino. My mother worked for the Order in Japan, and we've just moved here...you're Harry Potter!"

The dark-haired boy had looked up at her, and she could just make out his scar in the dim lighting. He scowled briefly, always scorning fame, but then he made a connection.

"Hermione?" he asked. Hotaru beamed.

"She is doing as well as can be expected. She's very nice."

"Do you know when she's coming back?" the red-haired boy asked.

"End of the month, I think. Maybe the first few days of July. May I ask your name? And yours?" she nodded at the red-haired girl who had not yet spoken.

"Oh, sorry." He blushed. "I'm Ron Weasley, and that's my sister Ginny. Is Harry really famous in Japan?"

Hotaru giggled. "Not particularly." She turned to Harry. "My mother went to school with your parents, and got on with your mother as well as a Slytherin could with a Gryffindor. Not so much with your father, though. I'm sorry I blurted out like that. It must be horrible having everyone know you by sight without really knowing you."

She was blushing, and Harry couldn't help but think she was very pretty. He blushed as well.

"It's not that big of a deal. I'm used to it."

* * *

The few members of the Order present at twelve Grimmauld Place arranged themselves in the den, staring intently at Albus Dumbledore. Lupin sat in a corner on a hard, wooden chair. Molly and Arthur Weasley sat next to each other on a sofa, and Tonks stood nearby. Rei was also standing, off to the side. Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"Late last night, Narcissa Malfoy was found dead in her home. While she did leave a suicide note, we believe foul play to be involved. Severus is currently at Malfoy manor, attempting to learn what he can. Some days ago, Narcissa visited Draco, and we believed she had the potential to become a valuable ally."

Rei snorted. As the daughter of wealthy, pureblood parents, she had of course known Narcissa. She found the woman tedious, air-headed and boring. She certainly did not believe her to be a possible ally.

"I want to stress the importance of staying away from Lucius Malfoy," Dumbledore cautioned. "With his family betraying him, he is most likely very unstable. Especially you, Rei. Once he learns you have returned to England, he may very well try to pursue you, and I have no doubt he'll use questionable methods. When Usagi returns, she will need to beware as well."

As soon as Dumbledore addressed Rei specifically, a plan began forming in her mind. No doubt the others would try to dissuade her from pursuing it, but it might very well gain the Order far more information than anything else they'd done so far.

"While we are on the topic of Miss Tsukino, I would like to inform you all of some plans that are in the works. It appears that Miss Tsukino has a daughter who will be turning sixteen at the end of this month. The girl will be attending Hogwarts next term, but will come to England soon."

Over the course of the next hour or so, Dumbledore laid forth the plans concocted at Rei's home earlier in the month for Chibi-Usa's debut. All the Order members would attend to keep watch. He conveniently left out a few details, especially concerning Chibi-Usa's parentage, but the only one who really noticed was Rei, and she knew the whole story already. She hardly listened to the conversation, instead working out all the small details of her own plan.

"Rei, you are plotting," Dumbledore said, an unmistakable twinkle in his blue eyes. Rei's head snapped up.

"I was just thinking maybe I could string Lucius along. Maybe see if I could pry some evidence out of him, and then turn him over to the Wizengamot. He's too smart to try anything so soon after Narcissa's death, so I doubt he'd do anything drastic. Especially if he felt he had no need to coerce me."

"Your brother will not like the idea," Dumbledore protested. Rei assumed that the response meat he wasn't completely against the idea. Typical Dumbledore.

"I don't care if he likes it. I'm a full-grown woman, and perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"Aren't you married?" Lupin asked, confused.

"So?" Rei snapped. "Lucius doesn't know that. Just so long as Severus hasn't already told him. I think I'll head over to Malfoy Manor to offer my condolences. I'll leave Hotaru here, just to be safe."

She stood, smoothing the front of her robes, and sending a look around the room that dared anyone to comment. No one said anything, and she left the meeting confidently. Before departing, she decided she ought to tell Hotaru where she was going, so she stopped off at the library. Knocking on the doorframe, she stepped into the dimly lit room and couldn't help but grin at what she saw.

Hotaru sat next to a boy who could only be Harry Potter, both hovering over a book. Hotaru appeared to be explaining something, and he was listening intently. Two redheads sat across from them, also listening to the conversation, but there seemed to be something else entirely between the two dark-haired teens.

"Hotaru," she called, interrupting their conversation. "I'm going out for awhile to visit someone. I shouldn't be gone more than a couple of hours, and you seem to be keeping yourself entertained."

The girl nodded distractedly before returning to the book in front of her and the boy sitting next to her. Rei smiled and stepped back out into the hall. Hotaru hadn't really paid much attention to boys at school in Japan, and she knew Usagi would be thrilled to know her daughter was getting close to Lily's son. The two had been dear friends when they attended Hogwarts together.

* * *

Rei had been to Malfoy Manor numerous times during her teen-age years, attending dinners, masques, and all sorts of social events. So, it was easy enough to Apparate to the front gates. It was a little less easy to convince the house elf sent to greet her that she should be allowed access to Lucius. Apparently, due to his wife's "suicide," he was far too upset to be disturbed by anyone other than his closest friends and family.

Finally, she convinced the elf to lead her to the front parlor and to go ask Lucius if he would be too upset to see her. The elf returned almost immediately, apologizing profusely and saying Lucius would see her. Then, she was led to the library, where Lucius and Severus were sitting, conversing quietly and sharing drinks. They both stood when she entered, and her brother approached her.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he whispered in Japanese, bending to kiss her cheek.

"Does he know I'm married?" she asked, also in Japanese. She sent him a look telling him to play along and ask questions later. He snarled, but complied.

"No. I didn't mention you at all." Severus stepped back from her, knowing any prolonged display of affection would make Lucius suspect something.

"Rei Hino, surely you did not return from Japan simply to visit me," Lucius said in mock surprise. He kissed her hand and smiled at her. She turned her nose up.

"Of course not. I came to Snape Manor earlier, only to discover my brother was gone. I did not hear of the tragedy until a few moments ago. Naturally, I felt I must come offer my condolences." She kept hold of his hands after his kiss. "You are holding up?"

He nodded. "I will...survive. Come and sit, and tell me why you've returned to England after so much time. Perhaps you can distract me from the grief." Leading her by the hand, he waited until she had settled on the sofa before sitting next to her. Severus sat in a chair, staring in disbelief at his sister. Rei chuckled, despite herself.

"Now, Lucius. Do you take me for a fool? I don't believe for a moment Narcissa killed herself, and even if she had, I doubt it would cause you much grief."

Lucius stared at her for a moment and then burst out laughing. "Dear woman, so honest."

"Well, from what I remember, you never really liked her. Only married her because you needed to marry someone, or some such nonsense."

"Something like that. What's done is done though. I really would like to hear why you've returned. If you will indulge me?" He smiled charmingly at her. She returned the smile.

"Well, I'd have to start back when I went to live in Japan for you to really understand. When I returned, I met up with a childhood friend, and we became close. After a year or so, I thought he intended to marry me, and...well, he didn't, anyway. My daughter Hotaru will be attending Hogwarts this year on a new exchange program. She's very smart, a year ahead for her age. In sixth year with your ex-son. Anyway, we'll be staying at Snape Manor for the rest of the summer, so that she can get accustomed to England."

That was apparently not the answer Lucius Malfoy had been expecting. He was stunned into silence for a moment, but finally managed to come up with a comment. "You have raised this girl yourself?" he questioned. Rei nodded.

"You know how my mother's family feels about men and husbands and such. Still, it would have been nice to have a full family."

Rei stared wistfully at the ceiling, pretending to daydream about having a proper husband. Hopefully, Lucius would see it as a sign that she were looking, and act accordingly. He said nothing, though she didn't expect him to pop out a marriage proposal or anything.

"It would also have been nice for you to inform your actual family," Severus sneered, acting bitter. In truth, he understood why the girls were kept from him, but he could easily call up the irrational emotions that sometimes caught him off guard. Rei pouted at him.

"I apologized in the letter I sent, and I will say I'm sorry again. You know I was afraid of what you would say. You are quite...overprotective."

Snape continued to glare, but said nothing.

The conversation digressed into idle chitchat from that point forward. For the next hour and a half, Rei tried to give off signals that she was, perhaps, the slightest bit interested in Lucius. She had to be extremely careful with her plotting, because any Slytherin would recognize Slytherin tactics. If Lucius thought she really wanted him and was playing games to get him, he would be less receptive. The Rei he'd known before he'd married had not been the least bit interested, and there was no reason for her to have changed. She would have to pretend to "develop feelings" for him over time.

Finally, Severus excused them and led her from the manor. Once safely out of the way, he glared at her.

"What the hell are you playing at?" he demanded. Truly, he was concerned about his little sister's well being. The last thing he wanted was his sister becoming involved with Lucius Malfoy.

She informed him briefly of her plan, laying out more details than she had for Dumbledore and the Order. He would be more likely to understand how she hoped things to work, knowing Lucius Malfoy far too well. When she had finished, he was still reluctant, but could do nothing. As Rei had said, she was a free woman, and more than capable of taking care of herself. He only hoped she knew what she was getting into. Lucius Malfoy was a dangerous man, to his friends just as much as to his enemies.

* * *

I would like to say that the only reason this chapter was written so fast is because of the review left by ilaughatyou. Such constructive criticism is so much more inspiring and helpful than "yay write more."

Reviews!

Usagi Asia Maxwell-I really think if Voldemort is such a threat, he wouldn't just be confined to England or even just Europe. And, there are so many resources throughout the world for the Order to use that it would be silly to limit themselves. The only downside for me as the author is that I have to learn more about places like Africa, which has so many unique and individual cultures that it's hard to be accurate. It takes a lot of effort, and with the horrible response I get on this fic, discourages me. So, thank you so much for taking the time to leave a good review!

Airlady-Narcissa means that, despite the fact that Draco has been disowned and completely cut off from the Malfoy family, he is still her son and she still loves him as such. Lucius doesn't want Draco to be connected to the family at all. Thanks for the review!

Tenshi no Yupiteru-I'll send you an e-mail explaining my penname and the Kushiel books, and responding to your review in more depth, if you don't mind. Thanks for the compliments!

ilaughatyou-Actually, losing such an honest reviewer would upset me a lot. You have no idea how much I liked your review better than pretty much anything else I got. You are so much more helpful. I hope there's enough going on in this chapter to entice you to keep reading a bit more. I will not be having all the characters come to England at once because it would seem very suspicious. Rei and Hotaru are already there, and Usagi and Chibi-Usa will be going soon. I know you want Jess and Hermione to meet, but it's a long way off, I'm afraid. Jess probably won't show up until right before they go to Hogwarts. Everyone else will show up in a few chapters when we get to Chibi-Usa's debut. It's a big plot event, I promise. As for the whole Hermione thing...I disagree. Rape isn't something you can just have happen and get over with in a couple of chapters. It's only been a few weeks since it's happened to her, and I want to keep things realistic. I'll be focusing more on other characters as things progress, but she can't just magically get better. About the newsletter: the authors I'm working with are Sailor Ronin Usa-Chan, Tenshi no Nozomi and Pokahydee. If they aren't well known, I don't know who is. Though, they were A LOT more well known a few years ago. If you've read their stuff, I'm sure you understand. Anyway, thanks for all your comments. As I've said, you're so much more helpful.

Allieb13-romance doesn't just happen. Things have to develop, first.

Now, on to something that will probably depress you, and will hopefully shame you into reviewing. Now that has hit counters, I know what percentage of you guys review, and it's dismal. I got six reviews last chapter, out of over one hundred sixty hits. I realize that some people hit the page more than once, but if we say about one hundred twenty, that means only one person in every twenty who read this story bothered to leave a review. One in twenty. If you guys don't get your act together, I'm not going to keep writing. This story has so many little facets like the various branches of the Order around the world that need research and time, and I don't have the patience to deal with it. I'm in college, and I have other things I could be doing besides writing this. So...get with it, or I'm done.

Sorry to be so depressing, but...well, the percentages are depressing.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

"Didn't you wear that shirt yesterday?" Sofia grumbled, stabbing at her breakfast roll with a jelly-covered knife.

"That one was black." Isidoro's current shirt was dark blue. He didn't seem particularly worried, though, being too distracted by the game on his cellular telephone to care about his partner's opinion of his choice of clothing.

"How many damn "Che vive" shirts can you possibly have?"

"Eighteen...and four hats."

Sofia told herself that she shouldn't have asked, and returned to her breakfast. The hotel was a typical three-star fare with the occasional hot shower and a crappy continental breakfast, but it was cheap and the beds were softer than the ground. Considering she'd be spending at least the next four days camping in the Peruvian mountains, she supposed she should be thankful for even this much.

"Could you please explain to me again why we're hiking the whole way?" Isidoro complained. "The train'll take us to the base of the mountain and then we can buy bus tickets." His eyes didn't leave the cell phone the entire time he spoke.

Sofia rolled her eyes and stabbed another breakfast roll. "We're hiking because there are ruins along the trail that are probably more likely to have interesting stuff. Machu Picchu was just a random village that's famous because the Spanish didn't destroy it. Back in its day, it wasn't special, and I doubt it's hiding any secrets, especially with all the tourists tromping through it everyday. I'm more interested in Phuyupatamarca."

"You know, people die on the Inka trail."

Isidoro flipped his phone shut and sent her a harsh look. She ignored him. Stupid Muggles were the only people who died on the Inka trail, and Isidoro knew that. He was just being a lazy, whiny prick, as usual. Instead, she finished her mate di coca and got up from the table, heading to her room. She wanted to go over her supplies one more time, just to make sure she had everything.

Camping gear, food, extra clothes, first-aide...everything seemed to be there. She cast a quick levitation spell on the bag, making it light as air, and then slipped her wand into the sleeve of her jacket. Donning the backpack, she scanned the room once to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything. Nothing was out of place, so she left and went to the lobby to wait for Isidoro. He appeared a moment later, also carrying a backpack and playing on his telephone again.

They checked out of the hotel and walked down Calle Suecia to Plaza de Armas, the main square of Cuzco. The square should have been gorgeous, with well-tended grounds and a beautiful old cathedral. Unfortunately, with all the tourism in the city, the plaza teemed with backpackers, pasty-faced tourists from the States and Europe, small children trying to sell finger puppets, and an overabundance of insane taxi-drivers.

As Sofia and Isidoro attempted to hail a taxi, a little girl in traditional clothing approached them. "Finger puppet, two soles," she said, shoving her puppet-covered fingers at Sofia.

_Relax_, Sofia warned herself, clenching her fist and resisting the urge to smack the little girl. Just because she was backpacking didn't mean she was a stupid tourist interested in stupid souvenirs. She was from Peru, Goddamnit, and she had made those stupid souvenirs as a little girl. If she wanted a llama finger puppet, she'd make her own.

A taxi pulled up, and she and Isidoro hurried into it, thankful to get away from the tourist traps but also a little anxious. Taxi drivers in Cuzco could be a little...crazy. She told the driver their destination, the train station, and then settled back in her seat. Isidoro hadn't put his cell phone down yet, and she scowled at him. He probably wouldn't stop playing games until it was time to set up camp.

Unlike Sofia, Isidoro was not a native Peruvian. He'd been born in Cuba, and had only joined the Order of the Phoenix in the last six months. Her last partner had been from Colombia, but he'd turned out to be a greedy little bastard, and Andrea Mancini had...taken care of him. For all Isidoro's weird quirks (his cell phone games and obsession with Che), he was brilliant at Runes and together they'd managed to find plenty of helpful wealth and information for the Order. He just...got on her nerves occasionally.

The taxi got them to the train station intact, though Sofia was silently thankful the breakfast served at the hotel had not been very substantial. Any more food in her stomach, and she probably would have made a mess of the cab's relatively clean-looking interior. She fished a two-sole coin out of her pocket and paid the driver before exiting the vehicle.

Outside the train station, they were again assaulted by people trying to sell them finger puppets and such, but once they made it inside, it was relatively peaceful. Their train was set to leave in minutes, though, so they had little time to relax until after they'd shown their tickets and found their seats. Isidoro had the seat across from her, so she didn't feel the least bit guilty kicking her boots off and sticking her feet under his thighs. Knowing his phone's batteries would only last so long, he'd ditched it in favor of a well-worn copy of "The Motorcycle Diaries."

"How many times have you read that book?" Sofia asked.

"Go to sleep. It's still a few hours until we get to kilometer eighty-eight."

Sofia grumbled softly but pillowed her head against the wall of the train. "If we miss our stop, you are in so much trouble," she threatened.

The train lurched and began moving. Within moments, its gentle swaying had her drowsy. She couldn't have stayed awake even if she'd wanted to.

* * *

Rei returned to Japan every few days to continue teaching Hermione meditation and wandless magic. These sessions lasted much longer than the first, and were mentally draining. However, Hermione could feel the progress within her. She could feel the magic coursing through her, resting at her fingertips, just waiting to be unleashed. She was close, so close to doing wandless magic, and her failures were starting to get discouraging. Still, Rei reassured her that she was far more advanced than anyone, and that most people could never even progress this far. These words were vaguely comforting, but the perfectionist in her kept her from being happy about her improvements.

On days she wasn't studying with Rei, she spent most of her time at Usagi's apartment, doing schoolwork, reading or talking with the older woman. There were times when she'd burst into tears, still not really over what had happened, but there were also starting to be times where she'd smile. Usagi truly had been a wonderful influence over the past weeks, and Hermione was sure she wouldn't have been nearly as emotionally stable without her.

Chibi-Usa was another cheerful influence in her life. For the first few days, Hermione saw little of the pink-haired girl, but once Helios and Hotaru were gone, she found herself the center of the younger girl's attention. Chibi-Usa frequently took her out to see Tokyo, showing her all the most popular shopping areas, restaurants and theaters for teens. It was nothing like England, and not knowing Japanese was a little frightening, but most of the people were reasonably friendly. Hermione started picking up bits of the language, though it was so different in form from the Latin-based languages she was familiar with that she knew she wouldn't be fluent unless she practiced for years.

Professor Snape visited once more, both to check up on her and to reassure Usagi that Rei and Hotaru were doing well. When he informed Usagi of Rei's plans to wheedle some information out of Lucius Malfoy, Hermione was surprised to hear the woman laugh. Apparently, that was the kind of plan Rei would make, and most likely, she would succeed at it. Just hearing the name Malfoy made Hermione shudder. While she would love for Rei to dig up some dirt and get the bastard locked in Azkaban, she didn't envy her the amount of time she'd have to spend in close proximity to him.

Snape stayed for supper again that night, and Hermione felt only marginally more comfortable than last time. Snape spent most of the meal talking with Chibi-Usa about every possible subject, and occasionally they would drag Usagi into the conversation. When the conversation switched to Hogwarts, Chibi-Usa had a lot of questions, and Hermione found herself more comfortable. She knew plenty about social and academic concerns Chibi-Usa would face in a couple of months, and was glad to be helpful.

Again, the conversation eventually shifted to anecdotes from the time Snape and Usagi had gone to school together, but this time Hermione did not retreat to her room. She was vaguely interested to learn how two people as seemingly different as the two in front of her could possibly have gotten as close as they apparently had over sixteen years ago. Asking questions outright would have been rude, but she did manage to hear about the first time they met.

_Flashback_

_Usagi had met and befriended Rei Hino on the Hogwarts Express, before school and before the labels Gryffindor and Slytherin had driven any sort of wedge between them. They had started talking immediately about Japan, about how scary it was to be going to school in a different country. Rei had been in England longer, and was plenty willing to help Usagi adjust to the culture shock. The dark-haired girl had spent the summer and part of the last year with her father and brother, and was more knowledgeable about Hogwarts and the wizarding world, as well._

_A few days into the term, they agreed to meet in the library to work on their very first Charms assignment. Usagi had a desire to impress her teachers, and her study skills had yet to decline to the level they would be at for the greatest part of her time at Hogwarts. It was probably a good thing, too. If Rei had seen her as a slacker from the beginning, she would have been more reluctant to work with her on schoolwork, and they might not have ended up friends._

_As they were finishing their work, a dark figure stalked into the library, scowling. Snape had been a gangly youth with an unfortunate nose and no real desire to attempt to improve his appearance. He had far more important things to do than wash his hair every day. Still, as an eleven-year-old, Usagi had only looked at him with timid curiosity._

_"Professor Dumbledore has given us permission to leave next weekend, as planned," Snape said. He spoke in Japanese, and though his words were correct, Usagi immediately got the feeling that he was still learning the language._

_"Oh good," Rei replied, smiling brightly. She turned to Usagi, to explain. "This is my half-brother, Severus. Our father has opera tickets in Milan next weekend. Have you ever been to an opera?"_

_Usagi flushed. "No. Aren't they...really boring?"_

_Rei giggled. "Only some of them. This one's _Madama Butterfly_, by Puccini. It's really good. It's about a geisha...ooh, 'niichan, does father have any extra tickets?"_

_Severus raised an eyebrow. "I was going to owl Lucius. Do you really want to take a Gryffindor?"_

_"She's my friend," Rei said, glaring icily._

_"Fine. If we can convince Dumbledore to convince her parents to let her out of Hogwarts for the weekend."_

_"I'm sure you can be persuasive." Rei beamed a smile at him, and started gathering her books. "I'm going to go back to the common room. I'll see you in class tomorrow, okay?"_

_Rei grinned briefly at Usagi and then sauntered out of the library. Usagi stared after her, stunned. She'd never really even thought about going to an opera before, but apparently Rei believed she should go. After a moment, she turned to look at Severus, who was scowling at the door his sister had just walked through. When he finally turned his intense gaze to Usagi, she blushed and smiled shyly._

_"I'll take you to the headmaster's office. Hurry up."_

_Usagi had to rush gathering her books to follow him. She struggled to keep up with his long strides as he stalked down the hallway, all the way wishing she could be taller. She knew she would be lucky if she ended up five feet tall, and Severus was already pushing six feet. She found herself huffing for breath within minutes, and though it was difficult, she found herself again marveling at the size of Hogwarts castle. It seemed never ending, and yet every inch of it was a new adventure, just waiting to be uncovered._

_End Flashback_

Usagi leaned back in her chair, a happily nostalgic look on her face. Snape's face was a mask, but that didn't surprise Hermione. He was hardly the type of man to reminisce about the past, especially not in the presence of a student. Hermione wouldn't gossip about him, but she could definitely see nearly any of her fellow classmates doing so, were they to learn anything about Snape that might be considered gossip-worthy. She was drawn out of her thoughts by Usagi giggling.

"Remember how James and Sirius thought you were going to drag me off into some dark corner to kill me?" At the mention of the two Gryffindors, Snape scowled darkly. Usagi turned to Hermione to related the story. "They were going to pick a fight with him, and they told me I should stay away from people in Slytherin. Lily Evans made them back down, and told me I should be friends with whoever I wanted to be friends with. She was an amazing woman, and I can't understand why she let James convince her to marry him."

Hermione frowned. "So...you aren't a big fan of James Potter? I mostly only ever hear good things about him."

"Oh, he was a good person and all...but he was always such a jerk to people I considered friends, just because they were in Slytherin. He was better than Sirius, though."

This bit of information was shocking to Hermione. She'd been living in such a Gryffindor bubble while in the Wizarding world, where everyone loved and respected James Potter. Except the "evil git" Slytherin, Severus Snape, of course. To learn that there were Gryffindors out there who weren't infatuated with Harry's father was amazing in her eyes. Things really weren't always what they seemed.

"What about Professor Lupin?" Hermione just couldn't picture the werewolf as being a jerk, even a young and misguided one.

"Remus?" Usagi's face brightened. "He was like a brother to me. He always made sure James and Sirius left me alone about my choice of friends. Though, he could have done the same for others and chose not to." She pouted.

"It just goes to show how shallow most Gryffindors are," Snape said, unhappy with the topic of conversation. He would rather spend as little time discussing James Potter as possible. Hermione shot him an openly dirty look.

"How am I shallow?" she demanded angrily.

"How many friends do you have who aren't in Gryffindor? And, study partners from Ravenclaw hardly count as friends." Snape sneered, and Hermione bit her lip uncomfortably. Finally, she came up with a retort.

"Because you Slytherins are so much better about associating with other houses."

Snape immediately grew angry, his face twisting with rage. "Those students in Slytherin who might choose to socialize elsewhere are so in fear of their Death Eater parents that they are forced to suppress it. The politics involved in being a member of Slytherin are so complex, I suggest you not presume to know anything."

Hermione blushed and looked away. Usagi frowned and quickly changed the subject.

"Hermione, have you ever been to an opera?" she asked. Hermione shook her head, and Usagi grinned. "People are always shocked to learn that I like it. Everyone thinks it's stuffy and boring, and I'm completely opposite. But, a lot of them are really romantic and funny. Severus, are there going to be any good ones in London when we go back?"

"The only ones I know of are 'The Magic Flute' and 'Salome'," Snape replied. Usagi immediately grew excited.

"You have to start with 'The Magic Flute.' It's hilarious, you'll love it."

The conversation digressed into an argument between Snape and Usagi about whether or not Mozart operas were worth watching. Usagi maintained that they were amazing, while Snape found them tedious and with sub-par music. Hermione had never heard anyone criticize Mozart's music before, and sat enthralled by the argument. She had very little real music education, and she didn't think Usagi did either, but Snape seemed as well read on the subject as everything else. It amazed her to think about just how much stuff her potion's professor knew.

* * *

Harry groaned, looking over the criteria for his summer assignment in potions. All of his teachers assigned a lot of work, but Professor Snape seemed to take some sort of sick enjoyment out of ruining his students' summers with profuse amounts of homework. For all Harry wanted to be an Auror, he sometimes wished he hadn't gotten an 'O' on his potion OWL. It would save him a lot of anxiety over the next couple of years. But, keeping his goal in mind, he sucked it up and attempted to start his essay.

Hotaru found him over an hour later, surrounded by crumpled-up bits of parchment. His fingers were stained with ink, but he could easily clean them later. His naturally unruly hair was especially messy from constant running his hand through it. He looked up when he heard her and blushed.

"What are you working on?" she asked, her voice quiet and timid.

"Potions."

Her face brightened immediately, and she moved to sit next to him on the couch. She glanced over the criteria for the essay for a moment and then turned to his notes. He blushed, thinking she looked very pretty. Her brow creased as she continued reading.

"The brewing for most of these potions is NEWT-level. I wonder if we're going to be working on them this year...that would be so incredible. Imagine what he has the seventh-years learning."

She spoke under her breath, softly, as if to herself. Harry stared at her. "Snape's classes aren't exactly what I'd call incredible. Difficult and frustrating and unfair, maybe."

"Unfair?" Hotaru asked, frowning. She knew that Harry was unaware of her relationship to Snape, so she wasn't really offended, but she was interested to learn more.

"Well, unless you're in Slytherin. You seem like you'll probably be in Ravenclaw, so maybe he won't be a total jerk to you."

Hotaru shook her head and smiled sadly. "I'll be in Slytherin, like my mom."

"No way. There's nothing cunning or devious about you." Harry beamed a smile at her, trying to encourage her not to think so morbidly.

"It goes a lot deeper than personality types for some." She lifted her head to capture his gaze. "You know how it feels, I can tell. Your brush with the Dark Lord lets you understand what the darkness feels like."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked. She was starting to get a little creepy.

"Mama told me about the Sorting Hat. Did it try to put you in Slytherin?" Harry nodded, dumbfounded. "There's a darkness in some people...it isn't always evil like it is with the Dark Lord, but it's always Slytherin. Houses aren't always about personality types. My best friend's mother was in Gryffindor, and it had nothing to do with her bravery. She's brave, but there's something else...something bright that just belongs in Gryffindor. When you meet her, you'll understand better."

"And you think...because of Voldemort, I got some of that darkness, and that's why the hat tried to put me in Slytherin?"

"Don't you feel it sometimes?" she asked, her brow furrowing again. Harry couldn't help but get distracted by how cute she looked. He grinned at her.

"I think I know that feeling you're talking about. But I still don't think you're Slytherin material. Anyway, do you know about these potions? I was a little confused on the ingredient preparation..."

They spent the next hour going over potions. Hotaru was nearly as smart as Hermione, and Harry genuinely liked working with her. It was strange though. He found her just as pretty as Cho, and yet he could talk to her comfortably, without stumbling over his words and making a fool of himself. He really hoped she ended up in Ravenclaw, because he wasn't sure he could handle having a crush on a girl from Slytherin.

* * *

You guys are so lucky I went to Peru. World travel is really inspirational, and I definitely would not have written this otherwise.

Information on stuff in the chapter:

"Che" Guevara was a revolutionary communist who helped Castro overthrow Batista in 1959 (I think). He road across parts of South America on a motorcycle with his friend, helped out lepers and stuff, and wrote a book about it. He was very cool, even for a communist.

New characters:

Sofia Valdez Ramos: Peruvian chick, age 22, Order member. Isidoro frustrates her sometimes.

Isidoro Herrera Reyes: Cuban guy, age 30, Order member. Obsessed with Che and playing video games on his cell phone. Annoys Sofia, but very good with Runes.

Together, they go tomb-raiding across South America, looking for nijizuishou and artifacts to help the Order. They work directly under Andrea Mancini, who I hope you remember from earlier in the story.

In case you hadn't noticed, my Peru trip rubbed off on the story...so much in fact, that I finally developed a plot for this thing! That's right, there's some new bad guys and drama in the future, and it's gonna be cool...and educational. That's right, educational. You're gonna learn stuff from reading this story. Muwahahahahaha

I also made Snape a little more...Snape-y in this chapter, in that I made him be mean to Hermione. He ain't just gonna get all fluffy...he wouldn't be any fun that way.

I think that's it. Same stuff applies to reviews: make 'em worth my while.

Love ya!


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